KC DOG BLOG

Missouri Working to crack down on Puppy Mills

The state of Missouri is starting to crack down on 'Puppy Mills".  And that's good news.

For years, Missouri has been known as one of the largest puppy mill states in the country -- where licensed breeding operations allowed to keep animals in substandard conditions and countless unlicensed breeders were allowed to operate with little threat of being shut down.  One estimate put the number of unlicensed commercial breeders in the state at around 4,000.  The lack of overall inspectors in the state, along with the hilly, rocky terain (particularly in the southern part of the state) that allows for breeding facilities to go unnoticed are commonly given reasons why so many breeding operations are allowed to operate under substandard conditions.

"Most people think puppies were born in a box next to a fireplace in somebody's living room," said activist Kim Townsend. "If they walked into these places, they'd be appalled."

The state department of agriculture said that getting all of licensed breeding operations inspected even once a year is not even a possibility. In 2008, 1100 licensed Missouri facilities were not inspected.  But with only 11 inspectors, and over 3,200 licensed breeders - plus animal rescues, shelters and dog pounds, he says it is impossible for them to make all the inspections. He said that 120 facilities per inspector is "Fully loaded", and his budget currently allows him to be staffed with over 300 facilities per inspector.  "We can't get there." he said. He said that the "tremendous demand" for puppies has led to more people wanting a piece of the pie.

However, the state has stepped up it prosecution of unlicensed breeders and substandard breeding operatoins. That is a first step in making some substantial changes. Let's get the non-licensed commercial breeders out of the equation....or at least substantially trimmed down. Let's increase licensing rates for the current licensed breeders - to get more funding for inspectors. Having only reputable breeding operations would benefit everyone who runs one greatly. Increasing an anual license by only $50 would afford three more enforcement officers for the department of agriculture and help save the reputations of the commercial breeders that are actually trying to do things the right way. 

Most of our problems have little to do with creating new laws -- it's about providing the resources to properly enforce the laws we currently have that restrict the neglectful harboring of animals.

For the rescue's part, we need to continue to fight the demand issue by creating MORE demand for our products -- rescued dogs and cats.  It's all about market share, and we can help their battle by winning ours. This isn't about bashing them, it's about promoting us.

We ALL, (reputable breeders, state, rescues, shelters) need to work together to solve this issue of milled dogs in Missouri.  The continued in-fighting between the groups has made inroads impossible to make at the state level. Let's get it done, and make substantial improvement in the lives and health of our dogs. I don't think anything I've proposed is anything that everyone can't get on board with.

For more:

My earlier blog posting on the subject.

AP article in the Columbia Tribune and the NW Arkansas News.

A good radio news story from KMOX radio in St. Louis that is worth the short listen (the blue buttons at the bottom of the story play it, it's not terribly intuitive).

Missouri Puppy Mills on Oprah

The staff from the Humane Society of Missouri will appear on the Oprah Winfrey show today to discuss a recent puppy mill bust and the puppy mill issue in Missouri. 

I haven't caught the show -- in fact, I think it's on right now -- but will rebroadcast tonight at 9 pm on KCWE (Time Warner Channel 7). 

There is no doubt that the commercial breeding in many parts of the state is a problem.  I'll talk more about this topic after I catch the show this weekend and hopefully be able to find the segment somewhere on the internet next week.  Catch it tonight if you can.

A modest proposal for Commercial Breeders

Last week, investigators in Oklahoma seized over 100 dogs -- mostly Cocker Spaniels and Miniature Poodles -- from a puppy mill in eastern Oklahoma.  The dogs were without food and water, in small cages (many without any access to sunlight) and left to walk in their own feces. Nine dogs were found dead -- and several others were found eating each other.

For decades, commercial breeders and even smaller hobby breeders have fought against state-level legislation that would put regulations on large-scale breeding operations. And  make no mistake, I'm no fan of over-legislation -- especially when there are other ways of solving the problems.

A couple of quick thoughts on breeding - -just to let people know where I'm coming from:

1) I respect the right of breeders to supply puppies that there is a demand for. If there is a demand for certain types of puppies, then they have the right to supply them.  And I've heard too many stories of people denied adoptions to know there isn't demand there.

2) I really respect the right for small-scale breeders who work hard to bring out the best in individual breed traits to do their craft. I do think that is important and a lot of people do a great job at this. 

3) I really believe that the majority of people who breed are not horrible people -- and that most want what is best for the animals. Obviously there are some who are just there to make a buck, and they're dragging everyone else down with them.

4) All that said, I don't think the majority of people need a purebred dog for any reason. Most people, for their needs, would be just as well off with a shelter dog -- and would be better off adopting an adult dog and not a puppy as puppies tend to be infinitely more work. 

5) Any breeding operation should have good standards for how the dogs are cared for.

However, the time has come for responsible commercial breeders to craft their own legislation on regulating themselves.

The passing of Proposition 2 in California by a 65% margin should send a clear signal to anyone who raises any types of animals for a living -- that people CARE how animals are treated. They don't believe that animals are "products" that can be mistreated.  And if 65% of people are willing to vote in favor of better treatment for Chickens, they sure as heck are going to vote for better treatment of companion animals.

Incidences like the one in Oklahoma continue to create an image in people's minds of what a commercial breeding operation is like. Oprah has started highlighting some of the worst in these operations. The term "puppy mill" has become almost synonymous among the general public with commercial breeding operations.  I don't think public perception would support commercial breeding operations.  And the time has come for the responsible commercial breeders, and hobby breeders, to create their own restrictions that they can live with, but will put an end to these abusive puppy mill operations.  (And yes, I make a very clear distinction between the two terms "puppy mill" and "commercial breeder'.)

If it were me, here's what I would propose (I'm open to suggestions):

1) Mandatory licensing for all breeding operations.  If the operation produces more than 20 puppies a year (I'm flexible on this number, but the idea is if they produce more than 2 litters a year, they should be subject to regulation), they should have to get a license. Levy SEVERE fines on any operation that is found that is not licensed. This should be ok with any reputable breeding group as they would be licensed.

2) All licensing fees should go to the state department of agriculture to fund inspections officers.

3) All licensed operations should have to meet a minimum standard for care: cleanliness, health of the animals, size of the kennels, etc. Inspections would take place at least twice per year by the inspections officers. At least one of the inspections should be an "unannounced" inspection.

4) Any kennel in consistant violation of codes could be closed down.

Under this proposal, most 'hobby' breeders would be exempt from inspection. I think it would become impractical to inspect every hobby breeder out there.  While this would allow for the "backyard breeders" to go uninspected, theoretically, local animal control officers could get abuse/neglect charges in severe cases. 

Commercial breeders, that are actually managing the care of their dogs appropriately will be relatively unaffected (assuming that most states have some type of licensing requirement).  The licensing fee, if kept at a reasonable cost, would be a cost of doing business....and would not be "unfair" because most businesses in this country require some type of license.  They would also benefit from less competitions as unlicensed breeders would be run out of business.

The people who are mistreating and abusing animals will be negatively impacted the most - -and that's exactly what we want.

I know most commercial and hobby breeders don't want regulations. I understand. But the time has come where you may soon no longer have an option. Public perception is not in your favor. It would be best if the breeders got out in front of this create something that will get rid of the folks that are causing horrible PR for "breeding" so that everyone is not shut down.  If they don't get out in front of it, they will likely end up with something more restrictive that they won't have any control over.  The choice is theirs, at least for now.

Oprah and Missouri Puppy Mills

Oprah made big news around the animal welfare world with her expose' on "puppy mills" on Friday's show.  If you missed the show, you can catch some of the highlights here. 

Many of the blogs I read have had a mixed response to the program -- primarly because it featured Animal Rights group HSUS and their Director Wayne Pacelle.  Caveat had the pre-program take here while Gina has a different take here.

I set my DVR for the program and watched it over the weekend....and I will say I think the program did WAY more good than harm.

The opening segment focused on Oprah's dog Sophie -- which effectively set up the bond that humans have with their pets. After this,  they jumped into some hard-core topics like a Lisa Ling undercover how many dogs in commercial breeding operations (a term I much prefer to the derogatory term puppy mill) are treated, and animal shelter euthanasia (a segment that was very tough to watch).

Now I'm no fan of Wayne and H$U$, but I thought he did a good job on the program highlighting the conditions that many of these commercial breeding dogs are kept in and somehow made it through the show without asking for money or more legislation.  I'm not thrilled that his group got the publicity on this, but segment was well done.

Oprah encouraged people to adopt a dog vs buying a puppy - -and encouraged people to spay and neuter their dogs to prevent unwanted litters of puppies.  All good advice.  I think there is a huge population of people out there that buys puppies -- many of them now buying designer mutts -- without any regard to where they came from.  I think the show did a nice job of educating a good part of the population about what animal welfare people have known for a long time.  I also thought it was nice that they didn't group all breeders in with the large, commercial 'puppy mill' breeders.   Overall, I think a lot of suburban soccer moms probably benefitted from seeing the show, many of whom seem strangely nieve and unaware.

One thing I wish she'd focused on is how many of these dogs end up in shelters in the first place -- which is often because people get puppies, but when the dog becomes too big, or too much work, or no longer cute enough, someone turns it over to the shelter.  This dog becomes part of the system - -and in many cases, dies.  Otherwise, I have no complaints on the show.

Now, if only we can get her to do a show on the 'pit bull' travesty.

On a related note, Friday night the wife and I got an opportunity to go see the "Puppies are Biodegradable Art Exhibit" here in Kansas City.   Many artists from Pennsylvania and Missouri dedicated work through which they told the stories of commercial breeding operations and homeless dogs in this country.  Most of the pieces were quite good and quite touching.  Money from the event went to the Missouri Alliance for Animal Legislation -- a Missouri animal welfare group that is working on better regulations for Missouri Commercial Breeders, SB886 and others.

And in case you're wondering about the title of the exhibit, the words came out of a conversation that they had with a commercial breeder who when asked what happened if he wasn't able to sell the puppies he said "we kill them" -- and noted that they were "biodegradable". 

As a supposedly developed country, we can -- and must -- do better.

HSUS Probes "Puppy Mills" behind Pets of Bel Air

Earlier this week, HSUS launched a video that did a "behind the scenes" investigation behing popular pet-store for the stars, the Pets of Bel Air.  (Please take a moment to watch the video, I'm not going anywhere, I promise).

HSUS talked to the pet store owners about where their dogs came from.  The store employees and owners said that all of their dogs came from breeders, no 'puppy mills'.  HSUS then went to visit some of the breeders that supplied the pets of Bel Air dogs, and many of them were very large commercial breeders.

This story has gotten a fair amount of media coverage this week, including the LA Times, NY Times, and on the CBS Morning News. 

I don't really like to give HSUS any more publicity than they give themselves, but there are a couple of things I think are important about this story.

1) I think it's time to get rid of the term "puppy mill".  These are commercial breeding opperations.  Yes, these breeders churn out hundreds and thousands of dogs a year that are usually sold at auctions or pet stores.  Yes, many times these dogs are not kept in the same types of conditions that I personally would want them to be in (I think it's pretty crazy to even consider that an operation with 250+ dogs would be giving the dogs proper walks and exercise every day).  However, I'm not a huge fan of creating derogetory terms to try to create a point.  Besides, at this point, I think the idea of "commercial breeder" probably sounds more harsh (and less confusing) to the general public than the term "puppy mill".

2) HSUS is using the video, among other things like their usual fundraising, to try to get governments to ban puppy mills. Here's the deal.  Until we can dry up the demand for pet-store puppies, there will people breeding dogs to sell to pet stores to make money.  Where there is demand, there will be a supplier.  These commercial breeding opperations wouldn't churn out thousands of dogs a year if there wasn't a LOT of money in it.

Allowing commercial breeding to exist at least forces them to get a business license, which then allows the state governments to at least enforce minimum regulations on these operations.  Getting rid of them altogether, would cause the suppliers of commercially sold pets to go under ground and not face any minimum regulations.  That's not really the best option in my opinion.

If HSUS really wants to solve the commercial breeder "problem", they need to do a good job of informing the public that most pet stores get their dogs from Commercial Breeders.  If people don't like commercial breeders, then they need to either a) adopt a dog from a local shelter or b) buy a dog from a small-time, hobby breeder.

If they can dry up the demand for pet store dogs, the large commercial breeding operations will go away.  No laws required.  The solution is basic supply and demand economics: if there is no money in it, they'll disappear.  Pushing for laws prohibiting "puppy mills" will only make the situation worse if the demand is still there.

Puppy Mills in Missouri and Euthanasia numbers

Earlier this week, the AP released a story about puppy auctions in the state of Missouri. You can find it here and here (I'm providing two sources for the same story in hopes that at least one link will last awhile).

The article centers around a dog auction in which about 250 dogs were bought and sold...many were bought with the purpose of rebreeding these animals so the buyer could make back their money.   At this auction, a dog was sold an average of about every 58 seconds...and the average price was about $155.

Missouri has long been known for being very lax on commercial dog breeders.  This lax attitutude has caused the number of commercial auctions for dogs to rise from 10 in 1995, to 28 in 200o to 67 in 2005. 

At a time when euthanasia rates are falling throughout the country, according to the Missouri Animal Control Alliance, the Missouri Euthanasia rates are going up.    In 2007, Missouri has seen a 4,000 animal increase in the number of animals killed at licensed shelters throughout the state.  This is nearly a 10%  increase over the same timeframe in 2006.

While kill rates are a reflection of the commercial breeding that takes place in the state, there also may be another factor at play.  2006 saw three of the state's four largest cities implement some form of Breed Specific Legislation -- two cities, Springfield and Independence passed outright bans on "pit bull" type dogs, while Kansas City, MO passed a law mandating the spay/neuter of all "pit bulls".   There is little doubt that this led to the death of thousands of dogs in these cities.

What can you do to help?

1) Adopt a dog from your local shelter and encourage your friends to do the same.  Cutting off the $$ supply to commercial breeders will end the commercial breeding.  It's a supply and demand game.

2) Tell your current city to not enact Breed Specific Legislation that causes the the needless killing of dogs.  If your city has it, work to get it repealed.

3) Volunteer at your local shelter and encourage them to do more to adopt out more dogs with off-site adoption events.

It's important that we reverse what is a very negative trend of increasing the kill rates in Missouri.