MO: Animal Welfare Groups Propose Ballot Measure to Tighten Rules for Missouri Dog Breeders
By Chris Blank
The Associated Press
JEFFERSON CITY | Several animal welfare groups are urging Missouri voters to adopt new rules for dog-breeders that cap the number of dogs, require rest periods after breeding and establish care requirements.
Under the proposal, dog-breeders could only have 50 breeding dogs and would be required to feed animals daily, provide annual veterinary care and not breed animals more than twice every 18 months. Breeders also would have to follow rules for the dogs’ living space and house animals indoors with unfettered access to an outdoor exercise yard.
The rules would apply to people with at least 10 dogs for breeding. Violators could be charged with a misdemeanor and face up to 15 days in jail and a $300 fine.
The Missouri secretary of state’s office Monday approved a ballot summary for two initiative petitions involving dog-breeding. That means supporters can begin collecting signatures for the 2010 ballot. They need about 100,000 signatures by May 2.
The dog-breeding ballot measure is backed by Missourians for the Protection of Dogs — a coalition comprised of the Humane Society of Missouri, Missouri Alliance for Animal Legislation, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and The Humane Society of the United States.
Critics said Monday they plan to challenge the petition in court and contend the proposal could harm dogs by creating the same set of rules without considering differences between breeds.
For example, opponents say exercise requirements could pose problems by forcing large dogs with thick coats to be outside during the summer and small dogs with thin coats to be outside during the winter. Also, the mandatory rest periods between litters could lead to dangerous infections.
If approved by voters, the new breeding rules would be called the “Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act.” Animal groups say Missouri is a national leader in “puppy mills” with thousands of inhumane dog-breeding businesses.
Ginger Steinmetz, the executive director for the Missouri Alliance of Animal Legislation, said Missourians want dog-breeding laws strengthened. Steinmetz said Monday that some of the most important changes would be requiring a solid floor underneath dogs and barring the stacking of cages.
“This measure will mean less suffering for thousands of adult breeding dogs, which currently spend their entire lives in wire cages,” she said in a written statement. “As the leading puppy-producing state, Missouri should also lead the nation when it comes to the conditions under which puppies are bred for sale.”
Karen Strange, a leader for the Missouri Federation of Animal Owners that opposes the ballot measure, said Missouri’s existing laws are adequate and should be enforced. Strange said nearly every dog-breeder in the state would need to make changes to comply with the proposed rules and that capping the number of dogs inhibits ownership rights.
“What this measure does is one-size-fits-all,” she said. “There is a huge difference between a Chihuahua and a Great Dane, and one size does not fit all.”
The secretary of state’s office on Monday also approved ballot summaries for several versions of an initiative petition to limit an earnings tax on those who work in cities such as St. Louis and Kansas City but live elsewhere.
According to a cost estimate prepared for the ballot measure, Kansas City expects to collect $199 million from its earning tax this year and St. Louis has budgeted $141 million.
Posted on Mon, Dec. 28, 2009 04:35 PM
Source: http://www.kansascity.com/news/politics/story/1653334.html
Showing posts with label missouri. Show all posts
Showing posts with label missouri. Show all posts
Monday, December 28, 2009
MO: Puppy Mill Broker Caught in Insecticide Scam
Puppy Mill Broker Caught in Insecticide Scam
The U.S. Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has announced that Hunte Kennel Systems and Animal Care Inc., a division of Hunte Corporation, the largest U.S. wholesaler-distributor, and also an international broker, of puppies, has agreed to pay a $56,632 civil penalty.Hunte is paying the penalty to settle charges the company illegally sold an insecticide meant for use on cows and pigs as a flea and tick treatment for dogs. Hunte is said to have repackaged and relabeled the insecticide, Prolate/Lintox-HD, and sold it under the name Paramite.
This scam is said to have violated the federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act.
The Hunte Corporation breeds and raises puppies and also buys puppies from puppy mills and sells them to pet stores including to the notorious Petland and has been named as a co-conspirator in a scheme to sell sick puppies from puppy mills to the public. The puppies that even Hunte believes are not well enough or in good enough condition for sale to pet stores are sold thru newspaper ads, the internet or at flea markets. Hunte also sells puppies for research and sends them to other countries for other uses.
Go here for a look at the USDA's many citations of Hunte for violations of the Animal Welfare Act regulations. (Look at the Breeder and Dealer categories, under H for Hunte Corporation and T for The Hunte Corporation.)
Take a look here at an investigation of Hunte Corporation by the Companion Animal Protection Society.
In 2003 Hunte was cited by the Missouri Dept. of Natural Resources for dumping dead puppies on its property in violation of the state Clean Water and Waste Management law.
In 2006 60 puppies were killed in a truck fire, and in 2007 94 puppies were jeopardized in another truck fire. The puppies were caged in Hunte trucks transporting them to pet stores for sale. Hunte trucks have been caught without air conditioning in the summer and with no windows.
Go here and here for information about franchisees that have brought suit in Ohio for what they claim are Petland and Hunte's sleazy, fraudulent business practices.
Hunte boasts tens of millions of dollars in revenues each year from the sale of 90,000 or more puppies as well as pet supplies such as the faked "flea and tick treatment" for dogs. The company's headquarters is located in Goodman, Missouri, and it is there that Hunte has its facility for puppies. Puppy mills are a big business in Missouri, and the very agency charged with regulating breeders and dealers like Hunte, the USDA, has approved millions in Rural Development loans for the company in the past decade to expand its business. The business that profits from the misery of dogs trapped in puppy mills or bred and sold for research or worse.
Source: http://www.animallawcoalition.com/companion-animal-breeding/article/1126
Thursday, December 24, 2009
MO: Rogersville Man Pleads Not Guilt to Felony Charges
MO: Rogersville Man Pleads Not Guilt to Felony Charges
A Rogersville man who pleaded guilty to an animal abuse charge in 2003 pleaded not guilty Dec. 21 to a class D felony animal abuse charge for allegations he neglected to care of 13 dogs -- leading to their death.
William B. Padgett, 56, was arrested Dec. 18, after the Christian County Sheriff's Department discovered dogs living in a vehicle at Missouri 125 and Smyrna Road in Rogersville.
According to a probable cause statement, deputies found 13 dogs inside a Chevrolet Suburban with no food or water, walking in their feces. The deputy noted "urine running out the doors of the Suburban and freezing to the bottom of the Suburban." The dogs were thin, with rib cages and hip bones showing, the deputy wrote in the statement. Padgett told the deputy the dogs had been in the Suburban for five days.
A veterinarian determined animals had to be euthanized due to their medical condition. Padgett was released on a recognizance bond and is scheduled to appear Jan. 26 in Christian County court.
A Rogersville man who pleaded guilty to an animal abuse charge in 2003 pleaded not guilty Dec. 21 to a class D felony animal abuse charge for allegations he neglected to care of 13 dogs -- leading to their death.
William B. Padgett, 56, was arrested Dec. 18, after the Christian County Sheriff's Department discovered dogs living in a vehicle at Missouri 125 and Smyrna Road in Rogersville.
According to a probable cause statement, deputies found 13 dogs inside a Chevrolet Suburban with no food or water, walking in their feces. The deputy noted "urine running out the doors of the Suburban and freezing to the bottom of the Suburban." The dogs were thin, with rib cages and hip bones showing, the deputy wrote in the statement. Padgett told the deputy the dogs had been in the Suburban for five days.
A veterinarian determined animals had to be euthanized due to their medical condition. Padgett was released on a recognizance bond and is scheduled to appear Jan. 26 in Christian County court.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
MO: Teddy Kiriakidis, 3 Others, Sentenced in Largest Dog Fighting Raid in U.S. History
MO: Teddy Kiriakidis, 3 Others, Sentenced in Largest Dog Fighting Raid in U.S. History
By Pete Kotz in Animal Cruelty
Thursday, Dec. 10 2009 @ 6:00AM
In July, a raid by federal agents in seven states broke what they believed to be the largest dog-fighting ring in U.S. history. More than 500 dogs were seized and 26 people busted. The ring spread across Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Texas.
Now four of its leaders have been sentenced to prison in Missouri. Teddy Kiriakidis, 50, of Leasburg, and Ronald Creach, 34, of Leslie, were each given 18 months in the slam. Michael Morgan, 38, of Hannibal and 56-year-old Robert Hackman of Foley were given a year. They all had pleaded guilt to conspiracy.
Of the 500 dogs seized, 180 had to be put down due to the severity of their injuries.
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