Conditions at puppy mills are generally overcrowded and unsanitary, without adequate food, water, health care, exercise, or human company
In November, Missouri voters passed Proposition B, which imposed several new restrictions on Missouri’s puppy mills. However, a number of Missouri lawmakers are strongly opposed to the law, as a recent hearing revealed.
Opponents of the restrictions found in Proposition B argued that the law as approved by voters would destroy the breeding industry. [...] Proposition B supporters, however, said the new law was a necessary response to animal cruelty and suggested that efforts to overturn it would subvert the people’s will.
“This went to the voters and the voters spoke,” said Tim Rickey, senior director of the field investigation and response in Missouri for the ASPCA. “I’m just asking you to respect the will of the voters.”
The measure includes many new regulations on dog breeding operations in the state, including additional requirements for the housing of breeding dogs, access to the outdoors and rest between breeding cycles. It limits operations to no more than 50 breeding dogs.
The bill heard in the committee would remove many of those stiffer regulations and the cap on the number of dogs, and change the name of the law to the Dog Breeders Cruelty Prevention Act, among other things.
The other bills under consideration would make the law applicable only to new breeding businesses, or repeal it entirely.
According to the USDA (see map here), these are the states with the most puppy mills:
Missouri, 1,072
Arkansas, 431
Oklahoma, 366
Iowa, 320
Kansas, 287
As you can see, Missouri has by far the most large commercial breeders. I also find it interesting that all the runners-up are adjacent to Missouri.
If you live in the area and want to contact your lawmaker in support of Proposition B, more information is available here and here (both are links to .pdf files).
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