YES to Prop. B!

The Missouri Dog Breeding Regulation Initiative, Proposition B, will be on the ballot next week in Missouri.  If passed, this initiative would put regulations on the growing number of puppy mills in Missouri.  The laws would require "breeders"(as these mass breeding facilities call themselves) to provide dogs with the proper amount of food, water, space, and veterinary care.   Missouri law would also cap the number of dogs a breeder is allowed to have at 50.  This initiative would make a huge difference in Missouri, a state with one of the largest populations of puppy mills.

As many of you already know, I am extremely passionate about puppy mill education and the prevention of the mistreatment of dogs.  To provide a brief definition, puppy mills are mass breeding facilities where dogs are kept in horrendous conditions with little to no water or food, and are basically forced to breed over and over again.  There are so many obvious problems with these puppy mills, as well as many secrets that surround this whole industry of breeding.  When I first got involved with puppy mill education, I learned that about 98% of pet stores are supplied by puppy mills*.   This is obviously a huge statistic, and is often discounted by pet stores with statements such as "Our puppies don't come from puppy mills, they come from breeders".  The Merriam-Webster definition of a breeder is "one that breeds".  While the word breeder might not have a negative connotation, anyone that puts two dogs together for the purpose of breeding can be called a breeder, and does not mean that they have treated the dogs in a humane way or even that the dogs are healthy.  The reason that pet stores are supplied by puppy mills is that a responsible breeder would never sell their puppies to a pet store because they would want to meet the potential owners before letting them take the dog.  Many dogs purchased from pet stores also end up deathly ill from the diseases spread at the puppy mills.

There need to be regulations put in place to stop puppy mills and to end the mistreatment of dogs.  This devastating cycle can only change through education and action, and Prop B is the first step!  Oprah once stated a powerful message: "Now that you know, you can't pretend you don't".

Check out the Humane Society of the United States' recent report 'Missouri's Dirty Dozen'-worst puppy mills here.

*aspca.org

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