Please submit comments to the Missouri Department of Agriculture requesting that the Department continue to perform UNANNOUNCED inspections.

Dog breeders, at the request of industry leaders, are exploiting this extended time to request "adding 24 hour inspection notice to the current rules."

Under " Choose & Comment" please select " Chapter 9 - Animal Care Facilities Act" and leave your comment. You should also check the box "Leave this rule intact."  If you prefer, you can submit written comments by mail to the Missouri Department of Agriculture, P. O. Box 630, Jefferson City, MO 65109.

You might wish to include some of the following in your comments:

• Unannounced inspections are the only effective way of monitoring the welfare of dogs in Missouri.

• 24-hour notice will provide breeders plenty of time to clean up unsanitary conditions and remove sick and injured animals from the premises.

• U. S. Department of Agriculture and all other state agencies conduct UNANNOUNCED inspections and recognize the deterrent effect of unannounced inspections.

• All of our current regulations are critical to protect dogs from abuse and neglect - eliminating unannounced inspections undermines our current regulations' force and effect.

• Our current regulations combined with unannounced inspections have helped to rid the state of numerous cruel and inhumane breeders; Missouri should not be going backwards in addressing cruelty and neglect.

• Weakening our enforcement efforts to protect dogs in Missouri will only add to the negative stigma of Missouri being the "Puppy Mill Capitol of the U. S."

• The Animal Care Facilities Act and the Canine Cruelty Prevention Act were both supported and endorsed by leadership in the agriculture community and commercial dog breeding industry and any efforts to weaken enforcement of these regulations is accommodating to the worst of the worst dog breeders in the state. The Canine Cruelty Prevention Act was endorsed by the Missouri Pet Breeders Association, Missouri Federation of Animal Owners, and every agriculture industry group in the state including the Missouri Farm Bureau and Missouri Farmers Care.

• An economic impact statement conducted by agricultural economists at the University of Missouri Extension revealed that our recently passed law (Canine Cruelty Prevention Act) and subsequent regulations have had no negative impact on the financial condition of commercial dog breeders in the state. In fact, the average gross revenue for commercial dog breeders in Missouri - many of whom do this on a part-time basis - is $69,579. This is clear evidence that unannounced inspections have not been detrimental to the dog breeding industry in the state.

• Effective enforcement via unannounced inspections is also needed to protect consumers. Prior to our new law and subsequent regulations and enforcement efforts, the Better Business Bureaus of Eastern Missouri, Greater Kansas City and Springfield reported that "breeders in Missouri, with seeming impunity, continue to send sick puppies to be purchased by unwary consumers."

Feel free to add additional comments and especially any suggestions to improve current regulations.