The Missouri Puppy Mill Debate (It's NOT About Getting Everyone to Stop Eating Meat--It's About Humane Treatment for Dogs!)

I know of no better life to have than the life I have with my dogs. I am sure if there is a heaven's gate, the one with the dog as guardian is the one I will walk through.

"Watch out Missouri! The Prop B Puppy Mill Agenda Folks are on the rise! They'll have us all banned from eating meat if we don't stop 'em! Those animal lovers will bring an end to the biggest lobby in our state: Agriculture. They'll change life as we've known it. Our farms. . . our small, safe, homogeneous communities will suffer."

You know what I think? I think this is the Salem Witch Trials all over again and that many mis-informed folks are sitting in small towns across this state touting "animal breeding reform of any kind will kill our rural lives!" While meantime, thousands of helpless animals are in the backwoods of front door puppy breeding operations with said "breeders" who have nothing but dollar signs in their eyes. How did we go from Prop B will limit the number of dogs a "breeder" can have to, "Prop B folks will stop us from eating meat!" Oh, the humanity.


Proposition B in Missouri, better known as the Puppy Mill dog breeding law was passed by voters in this state last November by 51.6% margin. Last time I checked, a majority in any vote equals a win. Apparently not in Missouri.

This year's November elections, I placed a yard sign for the first time in my life in my front yard in favor of Prop B. I'll be honest, I didn't see many more of these signs within my zip code. No, make that, I didn't see a single other sign. The argument being made to repeal Prop B, or to "modify Prop B" is that though a majority margin voted to pass the measure--this vote in favor of Prop B came mostly from the urban areas. Mostly. Given this argument--there is currently an effort underway designed to overturn the state's vote. To overturn The People's vote. Rural folks seem to think us city folk don't know a lick about how to breed or treat animals when it comes to making money doing so. I disagree. I also believe that there is a reason our heavier populated areas across the state leaned in favor of passing Prop B. Perhaps it has something to do with our state's metropolitan areas housing more institutions of higher learning, thus drawing more independent thinkers, or more "thinkers" in general. Oh, and drawing from people who happen to have a heart and give a darn about the humane treatment of animals in general.

This morning's Post-Dispatch article on the debate over Prop B that took place this week in our state's capital was the tipping point for me. For those not from this lovely--mostly rural state, Missouri is known nationally as The Puppy Mill State. A sad and disgusting moniker if there ever was one.

What anyone NOT from Missouri might glean from this bill's title is that it's a supportive measure designed to reign in the inhumane treatment dogs being bred for profit in large scale operations receive. Seems very logical given the dire conditions we face with our state's dog breeding practices: improvement is needed--minimally, a reduction in the number a dogs a breeder is allowed to have. Punishments of violations would involve closer inspection and repeat offenders would pay heavier costs, with the potential for losing their breeding license a sure bet.

What might a large scale operation look like? How about stack upon stack of crates/wire cages where dogs sit their entire lives churning out litter after litter of "pups" so some family/kid/person can welcome home a companion of their dreams in its cute, fuzzy early life. Only the sublime vision of mom dog curled up on a kitchen floor or some other sanitary, warmly tended to setting is the farthest thing from what MOST breeding dogs in this state experience. Instead, many have bone disfigurement so bad from being crammed into a crate barely large enough for them to turn around in--so much so their growth is stunted. And, as one vet interviewed for this article summarized, some dogs have spent so much time in these crates, their paws have lost the skin between their toes as a result of being trapped in the wire flooring, their skin and eyes are infected and their coats are matted. Many never see a veteranarian. Ever.

It saddens me that the first order of business our lovely political heads decided to tackle was NOT the state's money problems, poverty problems, education problems, health care problems. . . but instead thought they'd Show Those Animal Lovers who runs this state and promptly began this legislative session pouring over any and all new regulations tied to Prop B intending to overturn the people's vote, to "show them city folk they can't tell us rural folk how to breed dogs for profit." My hope is that, Oh, yes we can and we DID. And that all the strong arms needed to keep Prop B on the books, in the form the people intended for it to pass--to save countless dogs from suffering from poor breeding practices will stand as is. As was the will of the people. Oh, and hey there Farmer John, uh, last time I checked, this bill was in no way going to keep a steak off your dinner table. This is about dogs and puppies. Perhaps some higher learning might do YOU some good.