HARRISBURG -- Lynn Hereda, a Mechanicsburg woman who owns two dogs, is sick of Pennsylvania being called "the puppy mill capital of the East.''

So is state Rep. James Casorio, D-Irwin, who has introduced one of three bills that would require "commercial breeding kennels" to treat dogs humanely.

His bill and the others would increase criminal penalties for breeders who cram too many dogs into small wire cages and don't give them proper food, exercise and medical treatment. They are strongly supported by Jessie Smith, a special state deputy secretary for dog law enforcement, and her boss, Gov. Ed Rendell, who dotes on his own two dogs.

At a rally on the Capitol steps yesterday, attended by dozens of dog owners with terriers, pugs, shelties, cocker spaniels and other breeds, Mr. Casorio and Ms. Smith urged legislators to adopt House Bills 2525, 2532 and 499.

He said the current Pennsylvania law regulating breeders was enacted in 1982 and is out of date.

Ms. Smith said it's difficult to estimate how many commercial breeders don't use proper care practices for their dogs. Of the 2,770 licensed kennels in the state, perhaps 650 of them are using poor practices, she said.

Ms. Hereda said the dog-breeding protection measures got a big boost about three weeks ago, when TV talk show hostess Oprah Winfrey, who already has proven she can lift a book onto the best-seller list, showed TV footage shot by undercover inspectors in several commercial breeding "factories" or "puppy mills" in Pennsylvania, Lancaster County in particular.

State officials said they appreciate the help from Ms. Winfrey, but they already had spent months developing the new legislation.

House Bill 2525 doubles the minimum amount of cage floor space for dogs and requires solid flooring, so excrement doesn't fall onto dogs when cages are stacked. It also requires a dog to have an outdoor exercise area that's twice the size of its primary enclosure.

House Bill 2532 prohibits "debarking," which means cutting or destroying a dog's vocal cords, except when done for valid medical reasons by a veterinarian. Mr. Casorio said some commercial kennels use a barbaric practice where a plastic pipe is shoved down a dog's throat and then smashed with a sledge hammer, destroying the vocal cords, so a dog can't bark. The bill also prohibits "docking" of a newborn dog's tail, by anyone other than a vet, once the animal is at least 3 days old. House Bill 499 increases fines and jail terms for people who are cruel to dogs.

Further information is available at www.doglawaction.com.