It's a step in the right direction. This is a lawmaking function that should be reserved to the states individually, according to the 10th Amendment anyway. Dogs are not livestock and are not going to be used for food. Therefore, USDA does not really have a stake in regulating them. USDA garners its power under the "Regulate Commerce" clause of the Constitution's Preamble, a section that was never intended to carry the weight of law. (See Federalists Paper #41.)
K