Laws for Paws e-Newsletter
September 2020
ALLIANCE FILES COMPLAINT AGAINST VETERINARIAN WHO DEFENDED PUPPY MILL
Veterinarian Margaret Ann Nichols, DVM defended malnourished dogs with the following statement, “Reducing dietary intake by 25%, the life span of dogs can be significantly increased.”
The Missouri Attorney General on behalf of the Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA) recently obtained a consent judgment against Marlisa McAlmond d/b/a Cedar Ridge Australians. The Attorney General had charged that Cedar Ridge had failed to provide adequate veterinary care to its animals, failed to provide adequate housing, and failed to provide the animals with adequate health and husbandry measures. Cedar Ridge has also been cited for unsanitary living conditions and on several occasions cited for not providing drinking water for its animals. 

As a result of the consent judgement, McAlmond must relinquish over 200 dogs to the state so that they may be adopted into loving homes and receive care and affection for the first time in their lives.

Unfortunately, justice for these dogs was delayed for many months as McAlmond aggressively fought the charges by the Attorney General. McAlmond’s principal defense to the allegations of animal neglect were statements prepared by her veterinarian, Margaret Ann Nichols, DVM, of Missouri Cat & Cow Veterinary Clinic, Koshkonong, MO. 

The statements of Dr. Nichols that were submitted to the Court stood in stark contrast to the photographs and testimony of the state inspectors and state veterinarian. 

Dr. Nichols defended the number of malnourished dogs on the premises by contending that “since the early fall of 2019, this kennel experienced problems getting delivery of high energy sport mix dog food” and that “the dogs had to adapt to different brands of dog food.” Yet, Dr. Nichols admits that she has been the attending veterinarian at Cedar Ridge for the past five years and Cedar Ridge has been cited for underweight dogs since 2016.

Dr. Nichols even proclaimed the kennel to be “impressive” since she considered the number of dogs that were malnourished to be a small percentage of total dogs on the premises. Dr. Nichols comments that “At one of the last state inspector visits, fourteen dogs were cited as being underweight. With puppies and adults both counted on that day and numbering over 300, this seems like a low percentage for this size population.”  
Regrettably, Dr. Nichols’ gross mischaracterization of the state’s evidence and photographs had an undue influence on the Court. It is for this reason that the Alliance has filed an official complaint with the Missouri Veterinary Medical Board against Dr. Nichols. In our complaint, we allege that the erroneous and misleading statements by Dr. Nichols delayed justice for these dogs and delayed their medical care that was being neglected by the breeder.

We emphasized to the Veterinary Board that Dr. Nichols had an obligation, as the attending veterinarian at Cedar Ridge, to ensure that the dogs received proper veterinary care. In fact, Dr. Nichols had signed an agreement with the Missouri Department of Agriculture attesting that she was responsible for providing adequate veterinary care to the dogs as well as for supervising the nutrition, the health, and husbandry for all dogs on the premises. 

As we go to press, eighty-two of McAlmond’s several hundred dogs still have not been turned over to the state by McAlmond. We will keep you advised of the ongoing efforts by MDA and the Attorney General to seek freedom for these remaining dogs.
O'Fallon Pool Paws: A Dog-gone Good Time with the Pup-arazzi in Full Force
A little rain could not dampen the spirits of Pool Paws attendees this year, who basked in the joy of their dogs (who had been hounding them to go) having a paw-some time. Given how ruff the pandemic has been on so many, dog parents knew that taking their pups to Pool Paws was the leash they could do. After the pups exhausted themselves with energetic play, they said "thanks fur everything" and passed out on the car ride home.

A BIG thank you to Alligator's Creek Aquatic Center for hosting at their wonderful site, providing a fun raffle, and having great staff who year after year go above and beyond.
We expect to see this pup at the Olympics!
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!
Schnucks eScrip Card

Another great way to support
the Alliance!
Did you know that every time you shop at Schnucks, they'll donate a percentage of your purchase to the Alliance? It's an awesome way to support the Alliance's mission and it doesn't cost you a thing! We'll even register your eScrip card for you so you don't have to!

Simply email us at admin@maal.org with "Schnucks eScrip" in the subject line, and in the body of the email please include your name, address, and phone number - and we'll send your registered Schnucks eScrip card to you within 7 days.

Once you receive it, you can start using it (we've already registered it for you!) - put it on your key fob to remind the cashier to scan it at check-out!

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!