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ANIMAL WELFARE ALERT

DOGS VICTORIOUS IN
LEGAL BATTLE OVER NEW
PUPPY MILL LAW
--AND--
SAN DIEGO BANS THE SALE OF PUPPY MILL DOGS 



DOGS IN COURT

DOGS VICTORIOUS IN LEGAL BATTLE OVER NEW PUPPY MILL LAW

Canine Cruelty Prevention Act Remains Law of the Land in Missouri
 
As we reported several months ago, a group representing 83 dog breeders in the state of Missouri brought a lawsuit to thwart the new regulations promulgating humane standards of care for dogs confined in puppy mills. These new regulations are the result of the passage of the Canine Cruelty Prevention Act in 2011. The breeders group initially sought a temporary restraining order against the regulations and when that failed, they sought a hearing to argue for a preliminary injunction against the regulations. After the hearing on January 11, Judge Jon Beetem, of the Circuit Court of Cole County, dismissed the request for preliminary injunction. A date was then set for October 2013 for the breeders to argue their case in a court of law.
We have just learned that the breeders have decided to dismiss their lawsuit against the regulations and the Canine Cruelty Prevention Act will remain in effect.

 

This means that dog breeders will need to comply with the new law or get out of the dog breeding business. Currently, more than 1,000 dog breeders have chosen the latter and have stopped breeding dogs. The Canine Cruelty Prevention Act has not only closed down 1,000 puppy mills but has dramatically improved standards of care for thousands of other breeding dogs across the state. All breeding dogs now have to be provided veterinary care including an annual veterinary examination, have unfettered access to outdoor exercise, increased living space, and can no longer be housed on wire flooring.  

puppy mill 13
Puppy mill conditions the law addresses

We are certain that the lawsuit was dropped not only because there was no legal basis for such a court case but a public trial would have proved extremely embarrassing for the commercial dog breeding industry. In the hearing for a preliminary injunction, one breeder testified that when she was told she had to provide her dogs with access to the outdoors, she chose to kill them rather than comply with the new rule. She had her veterinarian euthanize 72 of them and proudly presented a photo of 25 dead dogs to the judge as evidence of how her business has suffered since passage of the new law. Another breeder in the courtroom audience stated that she also destroyed her dogs rather than comply with new rules and bragged that she only had to pay her vet $7 per dog to have them euthanized.   

 

While some of the testimony was a tragic exposure of how dogs are exploited in the commercial dog breeding industry, some of the testimony proved farcical as the breeders and their representatives argued that they did not know what "constant" and "unfettered" access to the outdoors meant. They claimed that since the regulations did not define the terms, the breeders were left in the dark. One witness under cross examination by the attorney general's office was asked to read the definition of "constant" and "unfettered" from the dictionary. After reading the definition, the witness claimed that nowhere in the regulations did it say to refer to the dictionary for meaning of the words. He claimed not to know to use a dictionary for words he did not understand. He argued that "even words with defined meaning need further clarification from the Department of Agriculture."  

  

Another breeder testified that her dogs cannot be outside as they are too excitable and the excitement of being outside could kill them. She said she could not risk them being outside as a car might backfire or children might walk by her yard. Any excitement could cause them to die. This, of course, raises the question as to whether she informs her customers that the puppies she is selling are restricted to indoor use only for their entire life and can never go outside even to relieve themselves. This breeder testified that "outside air causes loss of ventilation" for dogs. She alleged that six dogs died of heatstroke and excitability when she tried an outdoor exercise plan.

 

The breeders argued that dogs do not need access to sunlight and even expressed objection to providing extra bedding to dogs housed outside in winter weather claiming they did not know what "extra bedding" meant. The breeders also argued against the requirement for heavy duty tarps for windbreaks for dogs housed outside.

 

An Assistant Attorney General summed it up well for the judge when he asserted that dogs are simply commodities to commercial dog breeders. We are certain that the dog breeders did not want the public to be aware of that sad fact and dropped their lawsuit rather than publicly expose the cruel conditions of puppy mills and the uncaring attitude of too many commercial breeders at an open trial.

  

 

 

 

 

 CUTE PUPPY

 

SAN DIEGO BANS SALE OF DOGS AND CATS IN PET STORES

 

San Diego joins Los Angeles, West Hollywood, Glendale, and several other cities in California and across the country in prohibiting the sale of dogs and cats in pet stores. Responding to complaints about the sale of sick and ill animals in pet stores, more and more municipalities are taking action to protect consumers. The documentation of abuses at Midwest puppy mills that supply puppies to pet stores is another significant reason for the adoption of such prohibitions. In many cases, pet stores are nothing other than outlet stores for cruel puppy mills. Los Angeles's ban was predicated on the number of ill dogs originating from Missouri breeders. San Diego's new ordinance will allow pet stores to partner with local shelters and rescues in helping to adopt out dogs and cats.  

Click here for full story. 

    

This is double good news for dogs as our new law has no legal challenges and there is now one less major city in which to market puppy mill dogs!

 

  

  

PLEASE HELP US CONTINUE OUR FIGHT AGAINST PUPPY MILLS!

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DOG WITH PIGGY BANK   

This year has been extremely costly to the Alliance as we fight to preserve our cruelty laws.  PLEASE support the Alliance's work on behalf of animals with your donation of ANY size today!

  

As the only organization lobbying full-time on behalf of animal welfare issues in Jefferson City, we NEED your support!   

  

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