Missouri is Not Ohio: New Exotic Animal Ownership Law

By now we've all heard about the owner of an Ohio exotic animal farm who released numerous wild animals from their pens before taking his own life. Over fifty of these animals, including 18 rare Bengal tigers, 17 lions, and 8 bears were shot and killed by local law enforcement officials.

The owner of this exotic animal farm had been in trouble in the past for allowing his animals to roam free and also for mistreating them.  He had a prior cruelty conviction and was recently released from prison for a felony firearms possession. 

It was alleged that the owner housed his animals in small pens and kept them in poor condition and fed his lions meat from malnourished horses.  Reuters reported, " 'When he was charged with animal neglect, there were complaints that he wasn't feeding his horses enough, and then when they would die he would feed them to the lions', said Larry Hostetler, executive director of the Muskingum County Animal Shelter. 'We've been trying to get him shut down since 2003,' Hostetler said, adding that authorities had made several visits to the farm since 2004 and found underfed animals with open sores."

I don't know about you, but I've been wondering is something like this could happen here.  Missouri is one of the few remaining places in the US where the exotic animal trade has flourished. According to Bob Baker, Executive Director of the Missouri Alliance for Animal Legislation, MAAL has worked for years to establish regulations for ownership of large carnivores in Missouri.

In fact, during the 2010 legislative session, MAAL helped to pass the Large Carnivore Act (LCA). This law requires anyone who owns, breeds, possesses, or transports a large carnivore on or after January 1, 2012, to obtain a permit from the Missouri Department of Agriculture and to maintain a minimum of $250,000 in liability insurance. Verification of insurance must be provided annually. The LCA (Section 578.600 - 578.624 RSMO) includes the following protections for the animals:

• Requires the Department of Agriculture to enforce the provisions of the Act to ensure that owners of such animals "practice best husbandry and health care protocols to ensure the humane and safe treatment of large carnivores on behalf of their physical well-being."
• Requires owners of large carnivores to provide their animals with adequate care and treatment, as established by USDA, in the areas of housing, handling, transportation, sanitation, nutrition, water, general husbandry, veterinary care, and protection from extreme weather and temperature.
• Prohibits the issuance of a permit to own or possess a large carnivore to anyone who has "been found guilty of, or pled guilty to, a violation of any state or local law prohibiting neglect or mistreatment of any animal..."
• Prohibits the issuance of a permit to anyone who has any type of felony conviction within the previous ten years.

Regulations like those could have prevented that fellow in Ohio from owning a large carnivore based on his felony firearms conviction and his conviction for animal cruelty.

Another interesting thing about Missouri's new Large Carnivore Act is that it also prohibits law enforcement officials from randomly hunting down and shooting free-roaming carnivores.   In fact, the LCA requires that the officer observes, or has reason to believe, that the large carnivore is actually "chasing, attacking, injuring, or killing" a human being or another animal before killing the carnivore.

Missouri may be the puppy mill capital, but a tragedy like Ohio will not be legal in Missouri next year.

Puppy Mill Bust: 74 Collie and Bichon Frise Dogs Rescued in Stone County Missouri

And some people say Missouri does not need the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act as it was originally written.... right.

Humane Society of Missouri rescuers have been busy.  Last week, at the request of the Missouri Department of Agriculture's request, they helped rescue dozens of Standard Collies and Bichon Frise dogs and puppies from a licensed dog breeder near Crane, MO in Stone County.

The dogs were livingt inside half of a double-wide trailer home on the property.  The portion of the trailer where the dogs were housed contained many wire crates with dogs and puppies living in their own waste.  Carpeting in the trailer was soaked with urine and feces. 

Following a routine inspection on February 17, the Missouri Department of Agriculture revoked this breeder's license.  Because dogs were in distress, they requested the Stone County Sheriff obtain a warrant for possible removal of the dogs.  They then requested the assistance of the Humane Society of Missouri.

Seventy-four dogs and puppies were living in their own waste.  Imagine a full grown Standard Collie living tightly crammed into a cold, filthy wire crate.  Unable to stretch or drink clean water.  It looks as though these canines haven't been seen by a veterinarian for a long time, if ever.  Nearly all suffer from internal parasites and will require treatment before they can be placed for adoption.

These dogs and puppies are now in the care of the Humane Society of Missouri where they are receiving vet care for parasites, encrusted eyes, matted fur (from urine and feces) and other ailments.

Donations are requested to help pay for their care.  If you would like to help, visit the Humane Society of Missouri's web site.  The HSMO is also requesting donations of towels, blankets,and rubber toys.  Items can be left 24/7 inside of the Receiving Entrance at the Macklind Ave location in St Louis, MO.

A disposition hearing to determine permanent custody of the dogs will be held February 28 in Galena, MO.  If the HSMO receives custody of the dogs, they will eventually be available for adoption.

If you are interested in adopting one of these dogs, you may call 314-802-5712 or check the Humane Society of Missouri web site for announcements.  Some of them may be available for adoption sometime in March, depending on how quickly they recuperate from their illnesses.

Missouri Pet Friendly License Plates Benefit Dogs & Cats

Live in Missouri and consider yourself an animal lover?  How about a "pet friendly" license plate for your vehicle.  This specialty plate is just $25 with $20 from the sale of each pet friendly license plate going into a fund that pays for spay and neuter services. 

It's a really nice looking four color plate with original art work by 501creative.  You can order yours here at the MoSHA web site.

In Missouri, more than 150,000 unwanted dogs and cats end up in shelters and animal-control facilities annually. Fewer than half of them are placed in new homes. Untold thousands of dogs and cats roam our communities as unwanted strays. Most strays die of hunger, dehydration, exposure or as the result of disease, abuse or serious injury. Animal advocates, for decades, have promoted sterilization as one key way to reduce the number of unwanted dogs and cats and put an end to the needless suffering and death of countless companion animals.

Money raised through the sales of these license place is allocated through a grant process.  To qualify for a grant, the recipient must be a 501-c-3, nonprofit agency or municipal animal-control agency that offers spay and neuter services for dogs and cats in Missouri.  Grant applications are reviewed by a three member panel and administerd by the Missouri Department of Agriculture.

The 2010 grant recipients (from 2009 donations) include:  OPSPOT and Spay Neuter in Kansas City;  the Humane Society of Ray County in Richmond, MO;  Seven Bells Sanctuary in Cole Camp;  Friends of Animals Humane Society in Eldon;  and the Humane Society of St Joseph in Buchanan County.

For more information contact The Missouri State Humane Assciation who adminsters the program.

Missouri Puppy Mill People are STILL Calling

Do you think there's some kind of no call list for this sort of thing?  We're still getting robo calls from the puppy mill folks urging us to vote against and defeat Missouri Proposition B this November.  How deep are their pockets?  This has got to be costing them a fortune.

I can't help but wonder if they're targeting voters in my county for a reason.  Maybe because there are so many puppy mills here. 

According to the Missouri Dept of Agriculture 1,568 MDA licensed commercial breeders in our state this year (2010).   Of that number 57 are in my county of Laclede.  Immediate neighboring counties include:  Camden County with 13, Pulaski County with 13, Texas County with 39, Wright County with 88, Webster County with 61, Dallas County with 53.  Our geographically small seven county area accounts for 324 of the licensed dog breeders in Missouri.  In other words, a little over 20%.

We moved here from Virginia.  According the US Dept of Agriculture, this year the whole state of Virginia has 25 licensed commercial dog breeders.   Talk about a contrast.

I guess I can take some small comfort that I don't live in Wright County, MO.

Here in Missouri the Puppy Mill People are Calling

About 8 pm last night the phone rang.  Another one of those computer automated calls.  My immediate instinct was to hang up because this is Tea Party territory and we get a lot of political calls.  But then I caught the subject matter:  Prop B.

Prop B (formerly known as the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act) is a legislative initiative that will appear on Missouri's November ballot.  It addresses humane standards in commercial breeding facilities.  And in my opinion, it is long overdue.

Back to the phone call which was urging me to vote against Prop B.  Yes, against it.  According the recorded message, dog breeders in Missouri would be arrested if a crumb of dog food fell into a dog's water dish if Prop B passes.

Yeah, right.

40% of all pet store puppies come from Missouri puppy mills.  Missouri has almost 3 times as many commercial breeders than any other state in our country.  Missouri has earned the well deserved reputation as the Puppy Mill Capitol of the United States due to its many unsanitary, overcrowed, and poorly regulated commercial dog breeding facilities.  According to a Missouri state audit report released in July 2008, the MO Department of Agriculture had failed to inspect 40% of the the state's known licensed commercial breeders as required by law. 

If Prop B is passed by Missouri voters in November, here's what it will do.  The new law will require large-scale breeding operations to provide each dog with adequate food, water, exercise, veterinary care, enclosure space, and protection from the elements.  Wire cage flooring will no longer be allowed, and dogs will have free access to outdoor exercise areas.

While I write this I have one dog laying on my feet, another blocking my chair so I can't get up without notice, and another snoozing in the doorway of the room.  Three dogs that are my constant companions and beloved family members.  Not only am I in favor of Prop B, I don't think it does enough.

  

Horse Meat for Human Consumption in Missouri

In Missouri the Horse Slaughter - HB 1747 - FAILED. This bill attempted to circumvent the current federal ban in the United States against horse slaughter for the purpose of selling horse meat for human consumption.

Despite the fact that the federal government no longer permits the slaughter of horses for the purpose of selling horse meat for human consumption, this bill attempted to go around the federal ban. While the constitutionality of this proposal is questionable, the bill would allow the Missouri Department of Agriculture to regulate horse slaughter facilities and would have compensated the USDA for inspecting such facilities. Missouri would have been the only state in the country to have such a law.

For more information about animal legislation in Missouri visit the Missouri Alliance for Animal Legislation on the web.