Missouri Puppy Mill Ballot Initiative

A campaign is now underway in Missouri to collect signatures to place a historic measure on the November 2010 ballot. "Missourians for the Protection of Dogs" has been organized to promote a ballot initiative which will address the cruel and inhumane treatment of dogs in puppy mills.

Missouri is widely recognized as the "Puppy Mill Capital of the Nation" because of its far greater number of commercial dog breeding facilities than any other state. Every month, thousands of puppies from Missouri are shipped to pet stores throughout North America and beyond. In 1992, the Missouri Alliance for Animal Legislation led the effort to pass the Animal Care Facilities Act (ACFA) which established minimum standards of care and required annual inspections for commercial dog breeders.

This new proposed ballot measure would add new standards of canine care to the ACFA statute. Specifically the measure would require:

• Sufficient food and clean water
• Necessary venterinary care
• Sufficient housing, including protection from the elements and eliminating wire-floored cages
• Sufficient space for dogs to turn and stretch, lie down, and fully extend their limbs
• Regular exercise
• Adequate rest between breeding cycles
  Visit the Alliance's website at

www.maal.org for the entire ballot initiative language.This effort is the result of a partnership including the following organizations: Missouri Alliance for Animal Legislation (Alliance), Humane Society of Missouri (HSM), Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), and American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). These diverse and influential organizations have come together based upon their shared concerns over the harsh living conditions endured by far too many dogs in Missouri's puppy mills.

The ballot language has been approved by the Secretary of State, thus paving the way for the signature-gathering phase. Volunteers are needed immediately to collect enough signatures by April 27, 2010 to place this measure on the November ballot. Missourians would then have the opportunity to relieve the suffering of hundreds of thousands of dogs by voting YES on the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act on November 2, 2010.

If you live in Missouri, please help gather signatures from registered Missouri voters; spread the word to your family, friends and neighbors about this important initiative. Volunteer petitioners are needed immediately to collect more than130,000 signatures by April 27. If you would like to be a part of this historic effort, please contact the Alliance at mail@maal.org, 314-361-3944, or toll free at 877-444-6225