Animal extremists are back, and this time, they are attempting to stamp out the breeding of dogs in the United States with a proposal that would supercharge foreign puppy mills.

The latest assault is legislation they are advancing through allies in the House that they claim will “protect puppies.” It would do the opposite by punishing responsible domestic breeders with new, more burdensome regulations without providing resources to improve breeder education or enforce current laws.

The inevitable result of new regulations, instead of improving the enforcement of existing requirements, means that responsible pet breeders will be curtailed. At the same time, those who disregard current basic standards of care will continue to operate. The so-called Puppy Protection Act would incentivize the importation of unhealthy dogs from countries such as China and Turkey.

It is a crapshoot whether imported foreign dogs are carrying serious diseases. While importation laws require all dogs to have a health certificate, foreign paperwork is commonly invalid or forged, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dogs from other countries are not subject to the same health and welfare requirements required by the Animal Welfare Act and regularly arrive in the United States with serious and infectious canine diseases.

There is good reason Congress let the House measure die in previous sessions. In addition to its damaging effect on domestic breeding and encouraging importation of potentially sick animals, it’s a bad law based on bad science.

Guidelines in the Puppy Protection Act would create arbitrary, one-size-fits-all requirements for dog breeding even though dogs are the most diverse species of land mammal, such as:

— Mandating two meals daily. A federal law mandating two meals a day, instead of existing Animal Welfare Act requirements for sufficient and appropriate food, doesn’t advance the well-being of dogs, especially when not all dogs have the same food requirements. This bill replaces regulations that allow for this flexibility.

— Temperatures. A prohibition of temperatures below 45 degrees or above 85 degrees makes sense for most, but not all, dogs. Breeds such as the Alaskan Malamute or Siberian Husky prefer and can easily handle temperatures well below freezing. Other dogs, especially newly born puppies, require temperatures higher than 85 degrees.

Current law mandates extensive requirements for breeders hugely effective at ensuring animal welfare as the top priority while providing flexibility for breeders depending on the breeds they are raising.

For example, the most recent annual report of the Department of Agriculture’s inspections of the nation’s dog breeders found that 96% of licensees and registrants were in substantial compliance with the Animal Welfare Act, the guiding legislation that regulates the treatment of animals.

If responsible breeders are regulated out of business, then the only ones left will be irresponsible breeders who ignore the laws.

Sheila Goffe is the vice president of government relations for the American Kennel Club/InsideSources

Editorial cartoon by Al Goodwyn (Creators Syndicate)