Americans don't agree with dogs and cats being used to make garments sold in the U.S. So why then are coats from major designers being found to include the fur of our companion animals?
Congressman Moran leads press conference
to introduce Dog and Cat Fur Act
Recently, an investigative team from the Humane Society of the United States catalogued repeated abuses by major department stores and designers.
Nordstrom's, Tommy Hilfiger and Bluefly.com all were found to be advertising as faux, jackets trimmed with fur from domestic dog. J.C. Penney was found to be selling raccoon dog fur mislabeled as raccoon. When confronted, the retailer merely blacked out the name of the species on the label and returned the coats to the sales rack.
Designers found to be selling dog fur include well-known brands such as Diddy's Sean John, Jay-Z's Rocawear, Beyoncé Knowles' Deréon, Calvin Klein, Andrew Marc, Michael Kors, Oscar de la Renta, Bogner, Baby Phat and DKNY. Many designers and retailers immediately pulled the products including: Deréon, Macy's, Rocawear and Sean John. Rocawear and Sean John pledged not to use raccoon dog fur in the future, and Calvin Klein went ever further announcing it will phase out the use of all fur.
It is illegal to import, export, sell or advertise any domestic dog or cat fur in the United States. But unfortunately for consumers and the animals involved, garment labels only have to identify a product's fur if the value of the fur used exceeds $150.
Label from a coat found in JC Penney containing raccoon dog fur that was labeled raccoon. When confronted with the information, instead of pulling the coats off the racks, employees used a marker to black out the word raccoon
on the label.
That's a loophole in the federal law big enough to drive a truck through. I have teamed up with HSUS to introduce bipartisan legislation "The Cat and Dog Fur Prohibition Enforcement Act" that would close the fur loophole and also add the "raccoon dog" - a canine species commonly found in China - to the list of dogs protected under current law.
Americans have the right to know what went into the production of the clothes they buy. Cats and dogs are companion animals, not accoutrements for the latest fashion line.
Our legislation to close this consumer misinformation loophole has over 25 original cosponsors. In the coming months, I plan to work on building even more support to make this legislation law. To learn more about the HSUS fur investigation please feel free to visit
Fur and Trapping | The Humane Society of the United States for more information.
