Barb Schmitz, state director for The Humane Society of the United States and campaign manager of Missourians for the Protection of Dogs, issued the following statement in response to Cole County Judge Jon Beetem’s ruling against Karen Strange and her challenge to the ballot title for Proposition B, the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act.
“The puppy mill industry has tried every trick in the book to prevent Missouri citizens from having the opportunity to vote ‘yes’ on an anti-puppy mill measure. Its leaders tried to undercut the measure first in the legislature and now in the courts. They’ve been rejected at every turn, and now voters will have the final say. We are confident that the people of Missouri will vote to provide more protections for dogs caught up in the puppy mill industry.”
The Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act will improve the lives of dogs by requiring large-scale breeding operations—known as puppy mills—to provide each dog under their care with such basics as sufficient food and clean water, necessary veterinary care, adequate housing and space, as well as access to regular exercise. Lawmakers in Iowa and Oklahoma enacted puppy mill legislation in those states earlier this year, and after Missouri, they are the next largest dog breeding states in the nation. Last year, 10 states approved legislation to address puppy mill problems.
Missourians for the Protection of Dogs is a coalition comprised of the Humane Society of Missouri, the Missouri Alliance for Animal Legislation, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and The Humane Society of the United States, and backed by veterinarians, businesses, animal welfare organizations and thousands of individuals. Details on the ballot initiative are available at missourifordogs.com.
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