It’s past supper-time and I still need to pack for my trip to the Pittsburgh area tomorrow. I’m the guest speaker Friday evening at “Love is in the Air,” a fundraiser for the Action for Animals Humane Society shelter in Latrobe. This trip has been in the works for months, thanks to Laura Guskiewicz, a local CPA and animal lover who is orchestrating the evening. She probably has help, but she’s been my contact, so I know how diligently she’s been at it. Laura and I have emailed back and forth about plane tickets, hotel accommodations, what to wear — “most people dress up (think business casual)” she wrote: Hmm… 

 

 

 

 

 

The biggest puppy mill victory of 2010 took place in Missouri, when voters passed a ballot initiative to crack down on substandard facilities and limit the size of commercial kennels to 50 breeding dogs each.

 

Now, barely two months later, Now Missouri is back in the spotlight as state lawmakers vow to overturn the new law.

 

The state House Agriculture Policy Committee is considering three bills that would either modify or repeal the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act, better known as Prop B. Opponents of Prop B say the law passed in November would ruin the dog-breeding industry because no breeder could possibly comply with the restrictions. Supporters of the measure say it will clamp down on animal cruelty and that the legislature has no business overturning the will of the people. The measure passed with 51.6 percent of the vote with support from urban voters in St. Louis and Kansas City voted yes to it. Rural voters were overwhelmingly opposed.

 

 

I’m glad to see supporters of Prop B are fighting to keep to keep the law in place. Missouri is the capital of puppy mills in the U.S. and it’s clear these breeders aren’t going to clean up their act unless they’re given no choice.

 

On a cheerier note, Wyoming’s Senate has passed by a vote of 16-0 a bill that would outlaw the practice of keeping dogs and cats in substandard conditions or running a breeding operation with an “emphasis upon profits above animal welfare.” The bill originally defined a puppy mill as any facility with more than 50 puppies and said a hoarder with 15 or more animals in substandard conditions could be found guilty of animal abuse. The bill was amended to remove references to specific numbers.

 

Among the opponents to the bill is the American Kennel Club, which reportedly questions the use of the word “substandard,” doesn’t like the phrase “puppy mill” and disagrees with the definiation of hoarding. You have to wonder why the country’s preeminent register of purebred dogs is always so willing to line up on the side of dubious breeders. Then again, if you’ve read Saving Gracie, the reasons are all too clear.