I just read this from HSUS…even if you don’t live in Missouri, contact the governor (I did) and tell him that these changes affect those of us in other states as Missouri ships their puppy mills dogs all over the country. The people of Missouri voted in favor of Prop B and now the House is trying to take it aaw
Talk Back: Puppy Mill Problem Shows Why Prop B is Sorely Needed
Posted: 04 Mar 2011 02:29 PM PST
Since nearly 1 million Missourians voted to crack down on puppy mill abuses by passing Prop B in November, I’ve tried to keep you informed about the dealings of a number of state lawmakers who are trying to gut this measure. The debate in Jefferson City is nothing but a rehash of the public discussion over Prop B; these lawmakers haven’t brought any new ideas or arguments to the table. The people of Missouri heard these same baseless and doomsday arguments and in spite of that, they made a judgment to approve Prop B to help dogs. The measure passed by 61,000 votes, and won in a majority of state senate, state house, and congressional districts.
Michelle Riley/The HSUS
One of the 70 dogs HSUS transported from a commercial
breeder in Missouri in January 2011.
Prop B applies only to large commercial dog breeding operations, and it makes modest reforms, including provisions to allow dogs to have access to an exercise area, to require that each animal has an annual veterinary examination, and to make sure that dogs are not bred every single heat cycle. It bears repeating that under the existing Missouri law (pre-Prop B) breeding dogs can legally be kept in wire-floored cages not much larger than their bodies for their whole lives, they can be bred continuously without rest, they can be kept outside in freezing cold temperatures, and they aren’t required to receive individual veterinary care.
Time and again, we see that so many puppy mill operators cut corners and don’t want to comply even with the minimal standards of the law. Here’s the bottom line: the reason they oppose Prop B is because profits are more important to them than the welfare of the animals.
Next week(this week – I received this email last week, so act now!), the Missouri Senate is expected to take up SB 113, which its author somehow casts as a compromise, but which in fact repeals every core provision of Prop B. The Missouri House is also expected to consider HB 131, another bill that guts Prop B, in the coming weeks. If you have not yet contacted Gov. Jay Nixon to ask him to veto any anti-Prop B legislation, please take a moment to do so today online or by phone at (573) 751-3222. And if you live in Missouri, contact your legislators and ask them to uphold Prop B. You can send an e-card to friends and family in Missouri here.
