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Laws for Paws e-Newslett
er
January 2018
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MISSOURI LEGISLATURE BACK IN SESSION
ANIMALS NEED YOUR HELP MORE THAN EVER!
2018 is starting
out to be a challenging year for animals in Missouri. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is proposing to turn over inspections of puppy mills to the American Kennel Club and other industry groups (
see below)
. The Missouri Department of Agriculture is considering rolling back regulations on puppy mills.
Meanwhile,
the Missouri Legislature has rolled out numerous legislative proposals
that would seriously weaken our animal welfare laws.
As a result, w
e will be asking for your help once again this year to safeguard our laws protecting animals from abuse and neglect.
While the
Missouri
Legislature has been convened for
only
two weeks,
already there have been numerous bills filed to repeal or weaken our state laws protecting animals.
This year the puppy mill industry has hired a team of contract lobbyists in its efforts to eliminate or weaken animal welfare laws. In addition, numerous agricultural groups have their own lobbyists at the Capitol working to undermine our animal laws. In fact, the Missouri Cattlemen's Association has made it their number one priority again this year to pass legislation (SB 817 & HB 1945) that would result in abused and neglected animals being left in the hands of their abusers.
We need your support and assistance as we work to defeat these ominous bills.
The importance of you reaching out to your elected officials cannot be over emphasized.
Your help is needed now more than ever if we are to continue to ensure the welfare of animals in Missouri
. As issues arise where we need your help,
we will be sending out Action Alerts asking you to contact your government officials and legislators.
The
Alliance, with your help, will continue to be a forceful voice on behalf of the animals at the Capitol and
you can be assured that we will be aggressively fighting to defend our laws and regulations protecting animals.
We look forward to your support once again as we strive to make 2018 a Happy and Humane New Year for the Animals!
To view
a description of
all pending animal legislation
including some positive bills
that would
actually
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IMMEDIATE HELP NEEDED!
USDA WANTS TO RELY ON THE AKC FOR INSPECTIONS OF PUPPY MILLS
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is proposing that the Agency NOT schedule inspections of puppy mills, as mandated by the federal Animal Welfare Act, if third party entities such as the American Kennel Club (AKC) and other dog breeding industry groups such as the Missouri Pet Breeders Association approve of the facility.
Dog rescued in Washington State from AKC Approved & Sanctioned "Breeder of Merit"
PLEASE SPEAK UP FOR THE ANIMALS
Please contact
Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and:
- tell him not to help puppy mills circumvent USDA inspections by allowing AKC or other industry groups to perform inspections for USDA.
- remind him that USDA is mandated by federal law - the Animal Welfare Act - to perform inspections of dog breeders to ensure that the animals are being treated humanely.
- remind him that the president of the MPBA, Kevin Beauchamp, was recently fined $6,000 and issued a cease and desist order for violations of the Animal Welfare Act for repeatedly failing to provide veterinary care to sick and injured animals.
- let him know that USDA should continue to perform all inspections of dog breeders and not to rely on the AKC and other dog breeding affiliated groups, with serious conflicts of interest, to conduct inspections and to monitor conditions at federally licensed dog breeding facilities.
TO CONTACT SECRETARY PERDUE:
- via email at AgSec@usda.gov
- via phone at 202-720-3631 (leave a message)
For more information on the AKC and to read the rest of this alert
click here
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Our "
Wine & Whiskers
" themed
Open Your Heart
gala fundraiser is right around the corner -
Sunday, February 25
, 2018 at Lucas Park Grille. The evening is open to all animal lovers and you can count on great food and drink.
This year we're excited to offer a number of fun activities for guests including tarot card reading, pet sketching, wine tasting, and our silent and live auctions. And of course, our executive director and board president will be on hand to give an update on legislative issues.
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AMAZON WISH LIST
To access our "Open Your Heart" Amazon Wish List
If you can't make our Open Your Heart "Wine & Whiskers" gala but would like to donate an item to the Silent Auction, head over to our Amazon Wish List (above link takes you to Amazon log-in. Once logged in, type "Open Your Heart" in the box that says "Name or Email".) We have a number of supporters who have already "opened their hearts" - some who have remained anonymous - and we'd like to thank each one of you for your generosity!
Open Your Heart is a vital source of annual funding for the Alliance mission, and it helps us fight for the animals throughout the rest of the year. If you make an Amazon Wish List purchase between now and February 20th, please include your name on the message (so we know who to thank!), and click the Alliance address for delivery.
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Help the Alliance continue to
fight for the animals.
Please consider a donation today!
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