September 2020
ALLIANCE CONTINUES TO WAGE BATTLE AGAINST CRUEL PUPPY MILLS
Alliance Successful in Urging Legal Action Against Numerous Puppy Mills

The Alliance has been aggressively working to close down many of the inhumane puppy mills in the state. In this effort, the Alliance has been submitting names of some of the most egregious facilities to the Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA) and to the Missouri Attorney General’s (AG) office. We requested that MDA and the AG take appropriate action to either bring substandard breeders into compliance or close them down. Our efforts are paying off as Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt has started to file legal action against numerous substandard dog breeders including a recent lawsuit against Corey Mincey of Puppy Love Kennel. This breeder was prominent on the list that we submitted to MDA and to the AG.  

In the past, MDA inspectors have discovered more than two dozen weaned puppies and adult dogs with thin bodies at Corey Mincey’s facility. In a recent inspection, inspectors reported “thin dogs, dogs with wounds and lesions, overcrowded shelters, and muddy enclosures.”
Matted and thin dog discovered at Puppy Love Kennel
Shockingly, during this same time period, USDA has given clean inspection reports to Puppy Love Kennel in contrast to the findings by MDA. Appallingly, USDA has totally abdicated its responsibility to enforce the federal Animal Welfare Act.

The Alliance provided the critical MDA inspection reports and the graphic photographs documenting the violations at Puppy Love Kennel to an official within USDA. We asked Dr. Robert Gibbens, USDA’s Director of Animal Welfare Operations, to explain why USDA continues to pass Corey Mincey’s facility in spite of the documentation of serious neglect by state inspectors. The Alliance invited Dr. Gibbens to personally inspect Puppy Love Kennel due to the horrifying reports by the state. Our request was rebuffed by Dr. Gibbens who replied that “we have reviewed the findings of USDA veterinarian inspections in 2017, 2018, and 2019 and believe they are accurate.”   

Fortunately, the Missouri Department of Agriculture and Attorney General Schmitt are not relying on USDA and have taken action against Puppy Love Kennel and other cruel puppy mills in Missouri.