Washington, D.C. — March 18 — Americans for Medical Progress (AMP) submitted formal comments to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in response to its Request for Information (RFI) soliciting comments regarding standards of care of dog breeding, exercise, and socialization.

In its response, AMP emphasized that purpose-bred dog breeding programs operate under a robust oversight framework and that animal care decisions must remain grounded in veterinary expertise and the principles of the 3Rs. AMP urged USDA to maintain flexible, performance-based standards rather than adopt rigid, one-size-fits-all requirements that may not account for differences in breed, facility design, and animal needs.

While purpose-bred breeding programs represent a highly specialized and limited component of the U.S. biomedical research infrastructure, their contributions to supporting essential research across the country remain indispensable. Maintaining flexible regulatory approaches that enable veterinarians and trained animal care professionals to make personalized decisions will promote high animal welfare standards and improve scientific research that advances medicine and veterinary health.

Read AMP’s RFI response here.