Rick Santorum- Attorney and former Republican Senator from Pennsylvania. According to USA Today, “Santorum, R-Pa., has won high praise from the Humane Society of the United States for pushing legislation aimed at ending breeding facilities known as puppy mills.” PETA also finds him to be “a friend.” According to the article, “About the only legislative issue on which Santorum has gone against PETA’s view was oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Santorum filed an anti-puppy mill bill in 2001 similar to the PAWS bill. It passed the Senate and was part of the 2002 Farm Bill but was deleted before final passage, in part because of opposition from small breeders worried about over-regulation, Santorum said.” Santorum, in 2005, introduced the Pet Animal Welfare Statute (PAWS), requiring the USDA to regulate breeders who sell 7 or more litters of dogs or cats per year. The bill failed, causing the HSUS to “take it to the states.” He has supported and promoted anti-cockfighting legislation and more funding for federal oversight of animal breeding facilities. The article states “The animal rights political action committee Humane USA gave $5,000 to Santorum’s 2006 re-election bid and has pledged to campaign aggressively for him. ‘We support elected officials who have a proven record of leadership on animal welfare issues and Rick Santorum fits that characteristic precisely,’ said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society and a Humane USA board member.” The Humane Society Legislative Fund (HSLF), a division of the HSUS, gives Santorum the highest score of all candidates with a 60% score out of 100 and considers him to be “the most active on animal issues.” As of October 14, 2011, reports show no monetary donations to the Santorum campaign from the HSUS.
