January e-Newsletter

Laws for Paws e-Newsletter

January 2023

PUPPY MILL DOGS NEED YOUR HELP!!!

PLEASE CONTACT THE USDA

The USDA is drafting regulations to enrich the environment for animals confined in facilities covered under the federal Animal Welfare Act, including mass dog breeding establishments. The USDA is currently asking for suggestions and any recommendations the public has regarding its endeavors to enrich the environment for puppy mill dogs.

Please inform the USDA that in order to enrich the environment of dogs in commercial breeding establishments, the USDA must dramatically increase the living space for the animals. Request that cage sizes must be at least four times the current minimum space requirement. Existing federal regulations require that the cage be only 6 inches longer than the dog itself. For a beagle, this would mean the dog living her entire existence in a cage the size of a dishwasher.

You can comment directly on the federal website here.

Please insist that the dogs must be in a ground-level enclosure with indoor/outdoor runs, solid flooring, and access to the outdoors, at least during daylight hours. Currently, at many USDA-licensed breeding facilities across the country, dogs are confined in tiny wire cages stacked one on top of another and warehoused in barns, with the dogs never seeing the light of day.

If the USDA truly wants to enrich the environment for dogs in puppy mills, then the Agency must ensure that dogs have adequate living space and sufficient room to exercise, and an opportunity for outdoor activities. You can remind the USDA that true enrichment must include the availability to perform natural behaviors such as running, jumping, and playing.

PLEASE CONTACT THE USDA: Regulations.gov

Feel free to copy and paste from the above if you are not certain what to request. Please add anything that you feel is necessary such as requiring toys for the dogs and mandating enrichment and behavioral assessments by the attending veterinarian to be documented on the Program of Veterinary Care form that is required of all breeders.

PLEASE HELP PUPPY MILLS DOGS BY CONTACTING THE USDA

Contact the USDA

MISSOURI LEGISLATURE IS BACK IN SESSION

ANIMALS WILL NEED YOUR HELP ONCE AGAIN

The Missouri Legislature is back in session, and over 50 bills affecting animals have already been filed. Several bills have been introduced to advance animal welfare, including increasing animal abuse penalties, granting immunity for rescuing animals from hot cars, and banning the gas chamber. Legislation has also been introduced to mandate that animals used in research and testing be provided an opportunity to be adopted into loving homes after their retirement. Too often, these animals are euthanized and never given an opportunity to be a companion animal.

The most prominent proposed legislation to aid animals is a cross-reporting bill. This legislation would require mandated reporting of suspected animal neglect and abuse by any psychologist, mental health professional, social worker, school counselor, teacher or other school professionals, juvenile officer, probation or parole officer, home health aide, adult protective worker, and other related occupations. This legislation was prompted by the strong association that has been documented between animal abuse and abuse against humans by the FBI and the National Sheriffs Association.

Unfortunately, several bills have also been filed that are intended to significantly weaken our existing animal welfare laws, including eliminating the disposition process for abused and neglected animals. Puppy mills and agricultural trade groups continue to seek to leave abused animals in the hands of their abusers until a criminal trial.

Most disappointingly, once again, there is an attempt to repeal local animal ordinances and remove all regulations regarding veterinary practices.

There is even legislation to remove all state and federal regulations of animals confined in factory farms.

We will desperately need your support and assistance this year as we work to defeat these harmful bills. We will also be calling on you to support bills that protect animals from abuse and neglect.

As issues arise where we need your help, we will send out Action Alerts asking you to contact your state legislators. The Alliance, with your help, can continue to be a forceful voice on behalf of the animals. You can be assured that we will be aggressively fighting for the animals at our state Capitol.

We look forward to your support once again as we strive to make 2023 a Happy and Humane New Year for the Animals.

Purchase Your Gala Tickets Now!

We can't wait to see you on February 4th at Meadowbrook Country Club in Ballwin!

Purchase your tickets here.

Congrats to Hope, our 2023 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.

ANIMAL HOTLINES