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Md. Bill Seeks to End Mislabeling of Fur Coats
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A Bloomingdale's spokesman said the retailer is in compliance with the law and has corrected its advertisements for a coat that was labeled as faux fur but was made of rabbit.
Burlington Coat Factory spokeswoman Audrey Shapiro said the mislabeling was "an error with one of our vendors." She said the retailer now properly labels all of its coats.
Neiman Marcus spokeswoman Melinda Lee responded to questions about a coat that the Humane Society says was made of raccoon dog by saying only that the retailer is "in full compliance" with the Dog and Cat Protection Act of 2000, which prohibits the import or export of products containing dog and cat fur into or out of the United States.
Wang Baodong, a spokesman at the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said Chinese laws do not prohibit the use of dog hair in apparel. But, he said, "the Chinese government takes note of the feelings of the Western people and does not encourage the trade of dog's fur."
Debbie McMillan, 55, of Odessa, Texas, contacted the Humane Society after learning that the $400 leather jacket with faux fur trim she bought for her daughter was made of raccoon dog hair.
"It was very repulsive to me," McMillan said. "Dogs are our pets."
She said she searched the Internet for information about Chinese raccoon dogs.
"When they kill them, they skin them alive, and I watched these films over and over," McMillan said. "It's kind of a nightmare. It comes up in your dreams at night."
Maryland House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel) said he will consider supporting the bill, adding that he is "always for disclosure."
"It sounds like a pretty good idea to provide this information the way we label other things and then let the public make a conscious choice," said Del. Dereck E. Davis (D-Prince George's), chairman of the Economic Matters Committee.
