Missouri Wants to Keep Puppy Mills in Business, Despite Passing Prop B

This post was written on the Care 2 Blog by alicia graef. This is such an important issue, so crucial to the welfare of dogs, that I want to share it with you on my blog, too:

On November 2, Missourians cast their votes and passed Prop B, the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act, a citizen initiative brought to voters to stand up for dogs languishing in puppy mills in their state. Unfortunately, legislators are already working to kill this new law.

Missourians for the Protection of Dogs, a coalition formed by animal protection organizations, businesses, veterinarians, and citizens, hit the streets educating people about the atrocities inherent to puppy mills, such as cramped conditions, dogs being trapped in their own filth and sick and injured dogs being left with no veterinary care to name a few. 

Over 190,000 signatures were delivered to the Secretary of State in Missouri to get Prop B on November’s ballot in the country’s worst state for puppy mills. With an estimated 3000 puppy mills licensed by the USDA and the Missouri Department of Agriculture, it’s been called the puppy mill capital of America.

Weak laws regulating commercial kennels have made it the perfect place for unscrupulous breeders to call home. According to the ASPCA, Missouri supplies over 40 percent of the puppies you can find in pet stores across the country. 

Prop B, which will take effect in 2011, isn’t anything outlandish. The bill calls for an increase in standard care, including providing food and water, vet care, protection from the elements, exercise, “constant and unfettered access” to the outdoors, room to move around and stretch and rest between breeding cycles. It would apply to breeders with more than 10 dogs and limit the number of breeding dogs to 50 per facility. Violations would result in up to 15 days in jail and a fine of $300.

Prop B calls for nothing more than adequate care for an animal we fondly, and commonly, refer to as man’s best friend. Missourians spoke. They don’t like puppy mills. Prop B passed with 51.6 percent of the votes. Unless they do math differently in Missouri than they do everywhere else, that’s the majority. End of story, right?

Unfortunately, no. It took less than a week for opponents to start coming out of the woodwork trying to get Prop B watered down or repealed.

Breeders of course heard a resounding ca-ching as the new law would significantly raise the cost of running a commercial breeding facility, while others in agribusiness are worried that regulations will expand to livestock. The Tea Party was, of course, also upset.

Worse, legislators are listening and will be discussing possible actions in the new session starting January 5.

“We will start working on that issue probably immediately,” said Senator-elect Mike Parson, a Bolivar Republican. Incidentally, there are 150 licensed breeders in his district.

Rep. Tom Loehner, a Koeltztown Republican who is chairman of the House Agriculture Policy Committee said that the whining heard about the issue in rural areas could “represent a mandate for change,” as most of the votes came from urban areas.

Not to be a smarty pants, but those votes all count the same whether or not the came from rural or urban areas.

Additional concerns were raised over job loss and the potential for Prop B to put legitimate breeders out of business. However, Barbara Schmitz, spokeswoman for Missourians for the Protection of Dogs, brilliantly pointed out that Prop B would be economically beneficial by providing an increased demand for veterinary care, while simultaneously reducing the financial burdens of rescues and other funding allocated to the mistreatment of animals. 

As for putting legitimate breeders out of business, what legitimate breeder needs more than 50 breeding dogs? That’s 50 litters of puppies per breeding cycle, yet we destroy millions of innocent dogs every year simply because there aren’t enough homes and Missouri wants to let their state continue to contribute to this horrendous industry churning out puppies like inanimate objects?

 Please sign the petition asking Missouri legislators to keep Prop B!

Dawn Kairns 
Author of MAGGIE the dog who changed my life A Story of Love

Website: www.dawnkairns.com

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"They stay in our lives for a while, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same." -- Author Unknown

 
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Puppy Mills Cause Grave Suffering: Cast Your November Vote To Improve Standards

Proposition B: What It Means for Puppy Mills in Missouri

Re-printed from the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association
By Deanna Tolliver, DVM,

As a veterinarian, I took an oath to protect animal health and relieve animal suffering. Unfortunately, as a veterinarian in Missouri, I have witnessed the worst kind of suffering in dogs from puppy mills—rotten and infected teeth, mammary gland tumors, ear and skin diseases, overgrown toenails that curl into foot pads, and coats matted so heavily that the animals could barely walk. Most of these conditions result from years of neglect and could have been prevented or treated with proper veterinary care.

Given what I have seen in these kennel dogs, I consider it my professional responsibility to support Proposition B, the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act. This commonsense measure on the November state ballot will provide more humane standards for the care of all dogs in puppy mills throughout the state.

How will Prop B impact the puppy mill industry?

Prop B would require large, commercial breeding facilities to provide dogs with sufficient food and clean water; necessary veterinary care; adequate living space, shelter and exercise; and essential rest between breeding cycles. It would also prohibit the use of wire kennel flooring and stacked cages.

The measure would also limit the number of adult breeding dogs that facilities can keep to 50 (it does not apply to breeders with 10 or fewer intact female dogs). Since each female dog is capable of producing up to five or more puppies per litter, a breeder could still sell roughly 200 to 400 puppies a year, with a potential income exceeding $100,000—much greater than that of most families in Missouri.

Changes to mass-breeding operations are long overdue

The recent rescue of more than 100 dogs from two operations in Camden and Greene counties undoubtedly confirms that Missouri has an ongoing problem with many of its 3,000 mass puppy-production facilities. The Better Business Bureau, the USDA Office of the Inspector General and the Missouri state auditor all released recent reports detailing insufficient oversight of our puppy mill industry and the grave suffering it causes—both for the dogs and for their future families.

In spite of the neglect that many of these dogs have suffered, those of us involved in rehabilitating puppy mill dogs are amazed at how quickly they respond to a gentle hand and good veterinary care. I believe that Prop B will have a substantial impact on the well-being of these dogs.

Support is on the rise, but help is still needed

Prop B has garnered mainstream support from the Humane Society of Missouri, Central Missouri Humane Society, Southwest Missouri Humane Society, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), Best Friends Animal Society and The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). In addition, a number of veterinarians and veterinary clinics, responsible dog breeders, religious leaders and many Missouri businesses have endorsed Prop B in order to ensure more humane treatment of commercially kenneled dogs.

As the election nears, I hope more veterinary professionals will vote YES on Prop B, endorse and support the measure, and encourage colleagues, clients, friends and family to do the same.

To read more and endorse the measure, please visit www.YesonPropB.com. Another veterinary perspective can be found in this letter to the editor, submitted to the Columbia Missourian newspaper by Dr. C. B. Chastain, DVM, DACVIM, a professor at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, in support of Proposition B.

Dr. Deanna Tolliver, DVM, is a Prop B endorser, HSVMA veterinary member and owner of Cross Creek Animal Hospital in Waynesville, MO. She is also the proud pet parent of Janie, a Yorkshire terrier puppy mill survivor born with elbow dysplasia, who seemingly repaid the favor of her adoption by alerting Dr. Tolliver to an intruder and saving her from possible harm.

Operation Bark Alert Rescues 2500 dogs in Missouri: Honor Puppy Mill Awareness Day on 9-19-09

Kudos to Attorney General Chris Koster in Missouri. Koster began going after puppy mill owners when he was Cass County Prosecutor. Shutting down puppy mills continues to be a priority now that he is Attorney General.

Taken from Puppy Mill Awareness Day Blog
By Jessica Machetta

The Attorney General's Office and Department of Agriculture have seized more than 100 dogs from an unlicensed puppy breeder in South Central Missouri.

Attorney General Chris Koster says the dogs in the illegal kennel in the Rolla area were lacking water, were sick, and living in what he calls horrendous conditions.

Koster teamed up with Department of Agriculture officials and the Humane Society in St. Louis to have the dogs impounded. There will be a court hearing in the next few weeks, Koster says, and hopefully, after that they can be moved to safety.

Koster says since Operation Bark Alert went into effect about six months ago, more than 2,500 dogs have been seized by the state.

Koster says Missouri has a bad reputation for being the puppy mill capital of the U.S. and that he's working with Agriculture director Jon Hagler on several initiatives to clean up the system.
The dogs were taken from Doolittle Kennels, an unlicensed dog-breeding kennel owned by Tim King. The Sheriff’s Department aided in the rescue.

Koster began going after puppy mill owners when he served as Cass County Prosecutor, saying shutting down such operations was a priority then and continues to be a priority as Attorney General, where he can make a difference statewide, he says.

Koster urges the public to visit www.BarkAlert.mo.gov to report unlicensed breeders.

Posted By:

Dawn Kairns
Author of MAGGIE: the dog who changed my life
www.dawnkairns.com
www.maggiethedogwhochangedmylife.blogspot.com
www.twitter.com/themaggiebook