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Do you Care about Missouri’s Puppy Mill Dogs? They Need our Help

April 12th, 2011

Imagine driving south from Kansas City through the beautiful state of Missouri, the landscape dotted with farmhouses and barns, acres of golden and green crops and when coming upon dozens of exits that lead off the highway, signs advertising breeding kennels.

“Lab, German Shepherd, Yorkie Puppies!” exclaims one. Another proudly announces the name of the “kennels,” a place I investigated in 2000, which is still operating, with less than a proud history of serious USDA inspection violations.

These are the sights we saw for six years when we drove with our four rescue dogs from our home in Kansas to our property in Arkansas.

It’s no wonder Missouri is known as “The Puppy Mill Capital,” a moniker the majority – 52 percent – of the voters in Missouri wanted to change when they passed Proposition B (the puppy mill legislation) in November.

However, the promise of larger cages, the bliss for a breeding dog to ever know what it is like to feel grass under its feet, and the humanity of requiring rests between litters and regular veterinary care maybe out of reach once again.

Last month, the Missouri Senate voted to essentially gut the law. Senate Bill 113 is now in the Missouri House of Representatives. As well, the whole Democratic process, by which we elect our representatives to represent us, not inflict their will or the will of big lobbyists, just became more of a joke.

There was little surprise that the measure in November didn’t generally fare well in rural counties, where puppy mills are rampant (there are more than 1,400 breeders in the state).

What is surprising that almost as soon as election day was over, certain state legislators of a certain party who decry government involvement, but who are also cozy with the agricultural community, promised to gut or repeal the measure altogether.

Their excuse? One state senator who wrote the measure to gut Prop B said they felt the voters were “uniformed” due to the many advertisements sponsored by humane organizations. Essentially, they said the voters were too stupid to know what they were voting for.

Late last summer through the fall, those who supported Proposition B and those who did not, were given the opportunity to make their case to the Missouri voting public (and to those of us who live in bordering states).

There are arguments, many of them legitimate, which were brought up against the proposition during the campaign last November (and yes, it is sponsored by the HSUS, an organization I no longer support. But Best Friends and grass roots humane and rescue organizations in Missouri also support it). Election day came. The bill still passed. Is it a perfect law? No, but it passed by a vote of the people. The campaign is supposed to be over. The people spoke. It doesn’t matter if it passes by 1 vote or 100,000 votes in 1 county or 100. As well, a recent survey suggests that the majority of the people in the state – even those who didn’t support the measure previously – want Governor Nixon to veto the action by the legislature.

What does this have to do with you if you don’t live in Missouri? Last year, I wrote that What Happens in Missouri Doesn’t Stay in Missouri. Missouri puppy mills produce hundreds of thousands of dogs each year, many of which end up in pet stores throughout the country. Some of the lucky breeding dogs the breeders no longer want also end up in rescues throughout the U.S.

There are things you can do if you live in Missouri or if you live in a different state or a different part of the world to help ensure that breeding dogs in Missouri have a chance at some quality of life.

First, spread the word among your friends and family, especially if they live in Missouri. Even if they do not, pass this story along to them so they know to help anyway.

Next, if you live in Missouri, contact your state representative and then contact Governor Jay Nixon’s office.

Hurry. The bill is now on its third and final reading in the House. The legislative session ends on May 13 and this bill will be voted upon before then.

Let them all know how you feel about Proposition B and/or lawmakers who believe they are smarter than the voters who not only voted on this measure, but who also can vote to remove them from office.

I contacted Governor Nixon’s office to ask if he planned on signing Senate Bill 113, essentially repealing the vote of the people and his spokesman said his office would not comment on legislation that has not been officially passed yet.

If you do not live in Missouri, you can still contact Governor Jay Nixon’s office, as well as the office of tourism in the state. Missouri is home to many tourist destinations, Branson (which claims is the biggest driving destination in the country), St. Louis and Kansas City. Be respectful, but firm. Let them know if they choose to ignore their own voters on Proposition B, you’ll be spending your vacation $$ elsewhere

I urge you, especially if you have rescued or adopted a puppy mill dog, to also share your pet’s story of survival with those state officials. They need to know that most puppy mill dogs have severe issues such as fear and anxiety and most do not even know what grass is until they are rescued into a loving home.

Let them know the world is watching and you care about the welfare of Missouri’s breeding dogs.

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Tags: do you care about missouri's puppy mill dogs? They need our help, missouri proposition b, puppy mills
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Do Puppy Mill Laws Help Reduce the Numbers?

August 20th, 2010

Puppy Mill

When speaking with a friend last week who has a rescue in Missouri, we were discussing some ideas on how to reduce the dogs and cats that find their way into the municipal shelter and if they’re lucky, eventually into her rescue.

One of the main problems in Missouri is that it is the Puppy Mill Capital of the Country and is home to more than one third of the nation’s puppy mills.

We discussed Proposition B, which will be on the ballot in Missouri in November. The proposed legislation would require people with more than 10 breeding dogs to meet new standards for housing, veterinary care and food. It would limit breeders to 50 dogs.

I expressed hope that the bill, if passed, would put some of the puppy millers out of business. According to ABC News, similar legislation in Pennsylvania, which competed with Missouri annually for the most puppy mills, put many puppy millers out of business.

The number of mills in Pennsylvania was reduced from over 300 to just 111 at the beginning of the year.

The cost to comply with the law was just too much for many Pennsylvania puppy millers and they went out of business. That law, however, is the toughest in the country, requiring dogs to have access to the outside to feel grass beneath their feet. It also requires them to do away with wire bottom cages and doesn’t allow the stacking of cages any longer.

Several other states, including Louisiana, enacted tougher puppy mill laws in 2008.

It’s unclear what, if any difference Missouri’s Proposition B, would make in the number of puppy mills in the state. My friend expressed doubts that such legislation would do much, if anything to reduce the amount of puppy mills. She told me she has a neighbor who has been cited several times for USDA violations and he just closes and reopens under another name.

I see her point. I’ve written stories on puppy mills since 2000 and have seen numerous mills violated on several occasions and continue to run business as usual. In one instance, a miller simply closed, sold her property in Kansas and moved on to Colorado.

Do you think tougher puppy mill laws are helping reduce the number of unwanted pets, or will, once more states enact them?

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Tags: do puppy mill laws help reduce the numbers, missouri proposition b, puppy mill
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