There was good news for animals yesterday in Missouri, when Secretary of State Robin Carnahan officially certified the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act for the November statewide election. The measure will appear as Proposition B on the ballot, and we will be working hard this fall to encourage Missouri citizens to vote Yes on Prop B.
Thanks to the tremendous work of hundreds of volunteers in every corner of the state, Missourians for the Protection of Dogs—a coalition led by the Humane Society of Missouri, Missouri Alliance for Animal Legislation, ASPCA, and HSUS—submitted 190,127 signatures of Missouri voters in May. The Secretary of State verified 154,248 of those signatures as valid, meaning the campaign exceeded the 98,000 signatures required by more than half. The campaign also qualified in six of the state’s nine congressional districts, showing broad support across the state from St. Louis to Columbia to Kansas City to Springfield. This grassroots support propelled the successful petition drive, and Missouri voters responded to the positive message of treating dogs humanely.
Missouri’s puppy mills are cruel and inhumane, and Missouri leads the nation with about 3,000 mills in the state. It’s estimated that 40 percent of all puppy mill puppies sold in pet stores nationwide come from Missouri’s mills, where dogs are forced to live in small wire cages for years on end, and are often exposed to extremes of heat and cold. Our survey work shows that nearly nine out of ten Missouri voters support this new law, and agree that all dogs deserve humane treatment and basic standards of care.
Earlier this year, Iowa and Oklahoma enacted laws to crack down on puppy mill abuses, and after Missouri, they are the next largest puppy mill states in the country. Last year, ten states passed similar laws. Missouri has lagged far behind, as its state lawmakers are held captive by the special interest puppy mill lobby. Since the politicians have failed to act, the citizens will now have the opportunity to pass a state law protecting dogs from the worst types of cruelty.
The Missouri election will be a major priority for animal advocates this fall. We have an opportunity not only to improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of dogs in the state, but also to send a message nationwide that dogs should be treated like family pets, not like a cash crop. Please join the campaign to help spread the word in Missouri to vote Yes on Prop B this November.
Paid for by Humane Society Legislative Fund, Michael Markarian, President, 519 C St. NE, Washington, DC 20002.
