Laws for Paws e-Newsletter
November 2022
Want to be a Voice for the Animals in Jefferson City?
You can now sponsor a week or even a day of the upcoming Legislative session and be a Voice for the Animals! The Missouri Legislature will be coming back into session soon, and once again, the Alliance will be the prominent voice for the animals at our state capitol. Please help us maintain our advocacy efforts on behalf of the animals and consider being a Voice for the Animals for a day or possibly a week! You can choose a day that has special meaning for you or your animals.

The work of the Alliance is needed now more than ever to protect animals in the state.
The Alliance Presents at the Missouri Juvenile Justice Association Conference
Last month, our Associate Executive Director, Aislinn McCarthy-Sinclair, had the honor of speaking at the Missouri Juvenile Justice Association on the connection between animal and child abuse. The room was completely full of human service professionals, many of whom affirmed that they were seeing animal abuse in the course of their work and wanted to know what to do in future cases.

Attendees were able to walk away with knowledge regarding the identification of animal abuse, who to report it to, information on Missouri's animal abuse and neglect statutes, and much more. We are so grateful to MJJA for giving us the opportunity to speak at their conference.
AVMA & AKC ARE LOBBYING CONGRESS TO DEMAND THAT USDA IGNORE ANIMAL WELFARE ACT VIOLATIONS
AVMA & AKC are urging Congress to re-institute “teachable moments” and “self-reporting.” 

While animal advocates are enthusiastically celebrating the Alliance’s victories in eliminating “teachable moments” and the “self-reporting” of violations; and mandating that the USDA cite all violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act, some groups are not pleased.   

Appallingly, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the American Kennel Club (AKC) are lobbying for the return of “teachable moments” and “self-reporting” and the disregarding of animal welfare act violations. The AVMA argues that many of their member veterinarians have puppy mills as clients, and citing violations can hinder the business of their clients and have economic consequences for veterinarians. In fact, it was at the urging of veterinarians during a meeting with the USDA in 2014 that resulted in the USDA originally implementing the “teachable moments” rule and “self-reporting” rule. Now that the Alliance was able to convince Congress to halt the USDA from ignoring violations at puppy mills, the AVMA is fighting for the return of these rules – rules that were not only cruel but were adopted illegally, whereby the USDA ignored the federal rulemaking process. 

Disturbingly, while the AVMA fights to lessen animal welfare at the national level, the Missouri Veterinary Medical Association is working to undo our state animal welfare laws. Obtain more details here.

Not surprisingly, the AKC is also fighting to protect substandard dog breeders, because fees for litter registrations from such puppy mills are a significant source of revenue for the AKC. The AKC has already sent alerts to their members asking that they contact their congressional representative and request that Congress eliminate language from the 2023 Appropriations bill that requires the USDA to document all “observed violations of the Animal Welfare Act or its regulations on official inspection reports.”  

While we are confident that the AVMA and the AKC will fail in their nefarious attempts to weaken oversight of puppy mills, as well as all federally licensed animal facilities, please be assured that we are diligently working to ensure that Congress does not succumb to such despicable efforts by these two organizations. We will keep you advised. 
The Alliance Holds Another Successful "Safer Together" Seminar

In October of 2021 the Alliance brought an all-day seminar to Saint Louis to educate professionals about the connection between violence against animals, children, elders, and domestic violence.
State Representative Kimberly-Ann Collins Speaks at Safer Together STL.
This September, the Alliance was thrilled to bring Safer Together to Kansas City.
Aislinn McCarthy-Sinclair, the Associate Executive Director of the Alliance, talks about the need for policy change.
Safer Together KC boasted ten speakers and included presentations from survivors of domestic violence and child abuse, a forensic veterinarian, a leader in Children's Division, a state representative, and the Vice President of Missouri Animal Control Association, among others.

The seminar was offered at no cost and was available both in-person and online. It was attended by social workers, law enforcement, animal control officers, mental health professionals, domestic violence workers, shelter workers of human and animal facilities, and CASA volunteers, among others. We were pleased to educate professionals in the human services field on how to identify and report animal abuse when they come across it, as well as why reporting is so critical.

When asked how the professionals would use the information from the seminar in their work we received a great deal of encouraging feedback:

  • "I learned about signs and how to recognize animal abuse which can correlate to child abuse/family violence. Also the benefits of cross reporting."
  • "To be more aware of the attachment people have to their animals and to watch animal behaviors during home visits."
  • "The link between animal abuse and child abuse and signs to look for when in the home."
  • "I learned a lot in regards to asking more information on hotlines or with my families in regards to animals and how they are treated in the home. Also learned to observe animals more in homes and how they are acting."
  • "Being able to communicate the strong correlation between animal and human abuse."

Many of the attendees expressed an interest in helping the Alliance to pass a cross-reporting bill next legislative session in order to help animals and children in violent and dangerous homes.
We Prevailed.
Every legislative session has its own unique challenges and 2022 was no different. However, this year we experienced a new level of animosity from those invested in putting profits over the welfare of the animals. This did not deter us, but we continued in our resolve to defeat every bad piece of animal legislation that was filed - and we prevailed.

We saved the disposition process, so animals will not have to languish with their abusers until the conclusion of a criminal trial. We preserved the autonomy of local governments to regulate veterinary practices, allowing municipalities to ban cruel practices. We ensured continued funding of programs to regulate puppy millers and hold them accountable. We could not have accomplished this without the dedication of Alliance supporters. Read the entire end of session report here.
Congrats to Cici, our 2022 Face of the Alliance!
Remember the Alliance in Your Estate Planning
Leaving money to the Alliance through your will or trust is a profound way to create a legacy of compassion and ensure positive change for animals. An even easier way is to name the Alliance as the beneficiary of an IRA or other retirement plan. In any event, we are grateful to be considered as a beneficiary of your overall estate plans. Want to learn more? Email us!
HELPING ANIMALS!

If you find yourself in a situation where you question the treatment of an animal, or the conditions, or maybe you're wondering about helping wildlife or assisting in a rescue, or you have witnessed something that needs to be reported - go to our website because chances are you will find a number and/or a link that can help address it.
A Great Way to Support the Alliance
With so many people shopping online these days, you can now support the Alliance each time you make a purchase on Amazon. Click here or on the icon. Once you've identified "Missouri Alliance for Animals" as your charitable organization of choice, a portion of your purchase will be donated by Amazon to the Alliance each time you shop on Amazon! What a great way to contribute!