Missouri Puppy Mills: Prop B Does Not Need Fixing

It's all very simple, really, it is.  Last November nearly one million Missouri voters approved Prop B, the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act.  And they knew exactly why they voted for this legislation:  dogs are suffering in Missouri's substandard puppy mills.

Missouri legislators have ignored this shameful problem for years.  Now that Prop B has passed, they say they want to "fix" it.  Before it's even gone into effect and in spite of the fact that Missouri voters have spoken.

Not only do these legislators believe they know better than a majority of Missouri voters, their "fix" is a deceitful game that guts Prop B.  The Missouri Senate's "fix" is SB 113 which would strip Prop B of every one of its core provisions.

Next week the Missouri House of Representatives will debate their "fix," HB 131 which also guts Prop B.  

Missouri voters made it clear that they were tired of thousands of breeding dogs suffering their entire lives cruelly housed in stacked, overcrowded, filthy, wire-bottom cages;  denied veterinary care;  exposed to extreme weather;  and given no exercise or human affection.

If you live in Missouri, contact your House representative and ask them to vote NO on HB131 and NO on the emergency clause attached to that bill (which would prevent referendum activity.)

Dog Fighting Legislation in Missouri

According to the Missouri Alliance for Animal Legislation two bills were introduced in the Missouri legislature regarding dog fighting - SB 632 and SB 664 - both failed. These bills were introduced to strengthen Missouri's dog fighting statute. Unfortunately, neither bill was ever given a hearing in the Senate Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee and they failed to advance this session.

Fortunately for the more than 400 tortured dogs that were rescued in the most recent federal raid, the U.S. District Court was permitted to make a timely decision about the fate of these dogs (adoption, foster care, rehabilitation, etc.). In contrast, as a result of the Missouri General Assembly’s failure to pass dog fighting reforms, our state law still requires the victim dogs to be held until all criminal proceedings are resolved. If charges are brought now in Missouri state court, the seized animals must often remain in isolation for many months and even years!

Dog fighting is the only such animal cruelty crime that is currently exempted from this procedure in Missouri. Bills filed by Sen. Jane Cunningham of Chesterfield (SB 632) and Sen. Scott Rupp of St. Charles (SB 664) would fix this problem by strengthening Missouri's dog fighting statute. Both bills would allow a judge to hold a disposition hearing within 30 days of seizure to determine what happens to the dogs that are seized (i.e., adoption, foster care, rehabilitation).

SB 632 and SB 664 would also have increased the penalty for repeat spectators at a dog fight, giving law enforcement an important tool for cracking down on this barbaric “sport”. Rep. LeVota's HB 1689 would have prohibited anyone from possessing dog fighting paraphernalia. This bill would also have enhanced the criminal penalties for all second or subsequent dog fighting offenses.

Missouri Legislation on Exotic Animals Passed

Finally some good news in Missouri regarding exotic animal ownership. Known as the Large Carnivore bill, this successful proposal has been a Missouri Alliance for Animal Legislation priority for many years. This legislation creates a comprehensive set of standards for owning certain dangerous exotic animals by requiring liability insurance, micro-chipping, caging restrictions, and other protections to ensure that these animals are well treated and the public safety is protected.

Missouri has had one the weakest laws governing the ownership and care of dangerous exotic animals. It was significantly weaker than the laws of all eight bordering states regarding the private ownership of such animals. As a result, Missouri has become a haven for disreputable owners and a hub for illegal sales of these animals. Large carnivores are often found neglected in unsanitary, unsafe situations, such as a tiger named Sheena, found in a raid on a Seneca puppy mill in 2009. Sheriffs cited the lack of adequate state protections as a contributing factor in two tragic tiger attacks that left Missourians severely injured in 2008 (Wesa-A-Geh-Ya in Warrenton; Predator World in Branson).