Missouri doesn’t have to be No. 1 for cruel puppy mills. Here’s how to shut them down
Missouri has long maintained its embarrassing reputation as the problematic puppy mill capital of the U.S. And now, a blistering report by the Humane Society of the United States finds that Missouri has topped the list again for the tenth straight year. Kansas isn’t too far behind as having the fourth highest number of puppy mills cited for poor conditions.
The “Horrible Hundred” list calls out Missouri for having the most breeders with the worst records for mistreatment of dogs. Based on state and federal inspection reports, these problem breeders racked up violations for lack of veterinary care, unsafe housing, filthy conditions, starved dogs and unexplained deaths.
Breeders who abuse or house animals in poor conditions deserve to be exposed, prosecuted and shut down. Give Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt credit for trying to do that. But he isn’t getting enough help from state agriculture officials who have increased regular inspections but, according to animal advocates, don’t have enough inspectors or investigators, and are too slow to turn in abusers.
“They want to work with the breeders because they don’t want to take away their livelihood,” Bob Baker, executive director of the Missouri Alliance for Animal Legislation, told us. “But they need to be less patient with bad breeders. Some of them go four to five years before any action is taken.”
Thousands of dogs needlessly die or endure what in some cases are severely abusive conditions while state officials work with “unscrupulous breeders trying to get by with giving the minimum to the animals.” Baker said. “And it’s frustrating,” he said.
We say it’s abhorrent.
In Missouri, the crime of animal neglect is a misdemeanor offense that carries a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a fine of $2,000.
Like the Humane Society, we believe repeat offenders should be exposed and shut down. Anyone who buys a pet they suspect came from a mill where it or its mother was abused should report it to the state. And no one should buy a puppy if they don’t know where it came from or can’t visit the seller to see the breeding conditions for themselves.
According to the Humane Society’s report, a breeder in St. James surrendered 83 dogs to the state between 2019 and 2020 due to poor conditions, Another breeder in Elkland has been sued and fined by the state attorney general after numerous sick and emaciated dogs were found on the property.
In another case, at least seven dogs died within a nine-month period under unexplained circumstances at a puppy mill in Rocky Comfort, the report said.
Before 2009, there were roughly 2,000 licensed commercial puppy mills in Missouri. Officials now count about 950. But even after the state’s crackdown in 2011 with the passing of the Canine Cruelty Prevention Act, Missouri has retained its dubious distinction as the leading producer of many of the sick and dying puppies sold in pet stores.
Other states such as California and Illinois have banned the selling of dogs at pet stores because of how poorly dogs are treated in mills.
While laws and enforcement by the Missouri Department of Agriculture are better today than before, it’s not enough to stop these horrendous practices. Good breeders who follow the law should be screaming for more inspectors and independent veterinarian visits to breeding kennels to help identify, expose and shut down persistent violators, whose existence hurts the entire industry.
Maybe the best way to thwart bad breeders is to hit them where it really hurts: in the wallet. July 21 is No Pet Store Puppies Day. Animal rights groups, like the Companion Animal Protection Society and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, urge people not to buy from any pet store unless it’s one that offers rescued animals from shelters for adoption. Don’t support a puppy mill industry until it undergoes further reforms that guarantee the health and safety of man’s best friend.
This story was originally published May 24, 2022 at 11:59 AM.