Missouri breeds about 40 percent of all U.S. pet store puppies, according to the Missourians for the Protection of Dogs campaign.
And many of these dogs are being raised in inhumane conditions, said representatives from the campaign, which is leading the support for Proposition B, the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act, which is on the Nov. 2 ballot.
Missouri is known as the “puppy mill capital” of the country, with about 1,800 licensed commercial breeders, far more than any other state, according to a Better Business Bureau report released in March.
Missouri law mandates annual inspections of dog breeders, plus animal shelters, pet stores, intermediate handlers and dealers – let alone keeping watch for the numerous unlicensed breeders. Yet there are only 13 inspectors, who also are assigned other duties, the BBB report found. State auditors have repeatedly pointed out that the State does not inspect all dog breeding facilities annually.
For the past few years, national celebrities and organizations have demanded that Missouri put better regulations in place for dog breeders. Last year, Oprah Winfrey featured several small dogs, including Yorkies and poodles, which were rescued from a Rolla, Mo. breeding facility in April 2009. They were found caked in urine and feces from years of living in cramped and filthy conditions. The animals, including some newborn puppies, were housed in small wire cages with no solid flooring.
Now Democratic Committeewomen Angela Newsom (26th Ward) and Cara Jensen (8th Ward) are trying to get local residents to the polls November 2 to vote “yes” on Proposition B. The committeewomen held canvass events at Café Nubia, 5860 Delmar Blvd, on Oct. 16 and at Tower Grove Park on Oct. 17.
“Abuse of any kind should never be tolerated,” Newsom said. “This is an issue that will unite voters across our neighborhoods and throughout our city. We encourage our fellow elected officials to endorse and support this initiative.”
This month, the Humane Society released a report on “Missouri’s Dirty Dozen,” profiling licensed breeders with repeated violations who are still breeding dogs.
The report contains excerpts of inspectors’ accounts of finding dogs with untreated illnesses and injuries, dogs left outside in extreme temperatures, and other examples of inhumane treatment.
The act will require large-scale dog breeding operations to provide each breeding dog with sufficient food, clean water, veterinary care, sufficient housing, regular exercise and adequate rest between breeding cycles.
A dog the size of a beagle would have 12 to 20 square feet of indoor space, plus access to a larger outside run, and large dogs would have 30 square feet of indoor space. Currently a beagle-size dog is only required to have enough room to turn and lie down.
It would also limit the number of breeding dogs to 50 per facility, but does not apply to breeders with 10 or fewer intact female dogs. The initiative does not affect individuals who raise hunting dogs, livestock facilities, or animal rescue and shelter operators that are not involved in commercial sale of puppies, according to campaign officials.
Opponents, including breeders and animal-agriculture trade groups, contend that the act will hurt family businesses without affecting the worst offenders of violations. The act would also drive up prices of pet store puppies, encouraging illegal puppy mills to flourish.
The Missourians for the Protection of Dogs campaign is driven largely by the Humane Society of the United States and other animal advocacy groups. According to the campaign’s recent finance report, the campaign coalition has raised more than $3.7 million.
Campaigns opposing Prop B have raised about $115,000. Their funding has come from individual breeders as well as agriculture trade groups, including the state Farm Bureau, the Egg Council and the Pork Association.
“Missouri has led the country in puppy mill abuse for too long,” Jensen said.
“People are not getting what they think they are buying – healthy puppies that have been meticulously bred and cared for,” Newsom said. “Instead they are getting puppies that will cost them hundreds and thousands of dollars in vet bills. It’s like spending the money to buy a Jaguar and getting a 10-year-old Ford-Pinto.”
A Massachusetts woman told the St. Louis BBB that she purchased a puppy from a Poplar Bluff, Mo., breeder. The puppy died five days later of parvovirus, but not before the woman had spent $1,050 in medical bills, according to the report. The breeder told the BBB that she would refund $500 for the cost of the puppy when she could afford it, but only $50 of the veterinarian costs because the contract stated the breeder was not liable for veterinarian costs.