Laws for Paws e-Newsletter
March 2023
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PLEASE THANK MISSOURI ATTORNEY GENERAL ANDREW BAILEY FOR TAKING ACTION AGAINST CRUEL PUPPY MILL |
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“As Attorney General, I will enforce the law as written, which includes holding accountable those who continue to violate state statute by putting Missouri animals in egregious situations. I’m proud of this result, and my office will continue to use every tool at our disposal to uphold the standards for Missouri’s dog breeders as required by law.”
Please call, write, or email Attorney General Andrew Bailey and thank him for pursuing action against cruel puppy mills.
(573) 751-3321
The Honorable Andrew Bailey
207 W. High Street
Jefferson City, MO 65102
Attorney General Bailey obtained a consent judgment against Corey Mincey, the operator of Puppy Love Kennel, for continually violating the Animal Care Facilities Act. This consent judgment was filed based on evidence that Mincey continues to provide inadequate care for her animals, based on an outbreak of canine parvovirus that resulted in the preventable death of multiple dogs at her facility, as well as other documented animal welfare concerns.
Under the consent judgment, Ms. Mincey cannot conduct business as a commercial breeder for a minimum period of 8 years and is subject to a $10,000 fine.
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PUPPY MILL GROUPS ENDORSE ANIMAL CRUELTY |
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Footage from a puppy mill that was recently closed due to the disposition process, which the Alliance is defending again this legislative session. |
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Once again, in this legislative session, organizations such as the Missouri Federation of Animal Owners, Protect the Harvest, and the Missouri Pet Breeders Association are making false claims against the state’s disposition process and even fabricating stories about law enforcement unlawfully impounding animals.
This year the allegation was made that the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Department went “rogue” and unlawfully seized dogs from a breeder by the name of Sherlinda Price. The puppy mill groups argued that there was nothing wrong with the animals and that the only reason Ms. Price lost her dogs was that she could not afford to pay for the cost of care while awaiting a civil trial to determine the final disposition of her animals.
In truth, there is no need to post a bond for the cost of care of animals that are seized prior to a civil disposition trial being conducted. The only time such a bond is required is if the animal owner loses at the trial and there is a finding by the court that the animals were, in fact, abused and/or neglected. Then and only then does the animal owner have to post a bond for the cost of care if they desire to appeal the decision by the court.
In response to the assertion that the animals were well taken care of and were unlawfully impounded by the Sheriff’s Department, the Alliance, through the state Sunshine law, obtained the court documents in reference to the case. Read the summary of findings here.
The Alliance presented these findings to the Senate Agriculture Committee after the Missouri Federation of Animal Owners testified that the Committee needed to eliminate the disposition process for abused and neglected animals because of the miscarriage of justice that occurs when animals are seized, such as in the Sherlinda Price case. Fortunately, our testimony revealing the truth about the breeder in question led to the sponsor of the bill agreeing not to move forward with her legislation. One of the many things that we disclosed was that some dogs were living in “pools of urine and feces – even feed bowls and water bowls filled with feces.”
Unfortunately, there will be other efforts this session to eliminate or weaken the disposition process, such as HB 630, but at least we defeated the first attempt to do so. Be sure and stay tuned for upcoming Alerts when we need you to contact your legislator on similar legislation.
This is another reason we asked you to contact Attorney General Andrew Bailey (see previous article) and thank him for his effort against cruel puppy mills. Our public officials, unfortunately, are often the target of attacks and false accusations when they take appropriate action against inhumane puppy mills, such as what occurred against the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Department.
Attorney General Bailey needs to hear from the public that his action against a cruel puppy mill is sincerely appreciated.
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The Iowa Board of Veterinary Medicine refused to take any public disciplinary action against an Iowa veterinarian of the Country Village Animal Clinic despite his alleged malfeasance contributing to the cruelty at a puppy mill.
Iowan animal welfare advocates are justifiably up in arms over the failure of the Iowa Board of Veterinary Medicine to discipline a veterinarian in spite of evidence of horrific cruelty. This veterinarian had even been restricted in his practice of veterinary medicine by the U. S. Department of Agriculture due to the poor conditions of the hundreds of dogs he was supposedly treating. Further, a federal judge stipulated that the veterinary care provided to the dogs had to be provided by someone other than the regular veterinarian, Dr. William McClintock, or any other veterinarian working at the Country Village Animal Clinic.
However, this failure of the Iowa Veterinary Board comes as no surprise to Missouri animal advocates as this is identical to the callousness and negligence demonstrated by the Missouri Veterinary Medical Board regarding inhumane veterinarians in Missouri. Read about Dr. Volkmann and Dr. Ann Nichols.
What is shocking for many animal advocates, however, is the fact that veterinarians in Missouri are exempt from our state’s anti-cruelty laws. And currently, the Missouri Veterinary Medical Association is supporting SB 115, which would eliminate the authority of counties and municipalities to regulate veterinary medical practices regardless of how inhumane the practice might be.
This is very disconcerting as the AVMA approves of inhumane practices such as “ventilation shutdown,” where pigs are massively killed by shutting off all ventilation and increasing the heat in the barns until the animals gradually die of suffocation and hyperthermia - literally roasted to death – sometimes taking 2 or more days to die. And in the past, a member of the AVMA’s Animal Welfare Committee advocated for throwing unwanted live chickens into a woodchipper, saying “Grinding birds first aids composting considerably.”
If you have not done so as of yet, please contact your state senator and urge them to oppose SB 115.
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Save the Date for Humane Day!
April 12th, 2023
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What: Humane Day, sponsored by the Alliance, is the critical day during legislative session at which time animal advocates from around the state meet us at the Capitol and speak to their legislators about bills that effect animal welfare. We will have talking points prepared and will be available to address any questions you might have.
Where: 3rd Floor Rotunda of the State Capitol in Jefferson City
When: April 12th from 10am-2pm
Why: Coming to the Capitol to speak to legislative officials is the most impactful way to let them know that you care deeply about an issue.
Who: You! Whether you're an expert lobbyist or have never been to the Capitol or spoken to a legislator, the animals need your voice.
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Can't make it to Humane Day but want to help us defeat bad bills? Contribute to our lobbying fund! |
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Congrats to Hope, our 2023 Face of the Alliance! |
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Remember the Alliance in Your Estate Planning |
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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!
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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.
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Missouri Alliance for Animal Legislation | 314-361-3944 | P.O. Box 4309 St. Louis, MO 63123 | www.maal.org
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