No More Puppy Mills – What Proposition B Means to Puppy Mills

The 2010 initiative known as “The Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act” covers each and every possible contingency when it comes to the humane treatment of dogs being kept for breeding. The purpose of this Act is to prevent the cruel and inhumane treatment of dogs kept in puppy mills, by requiring dog breeding operations to provide their dogs with the basic humane care as described below:

• Sufficient food and clean water
• Basic veterinary care and grooming
• Sufficient housing that includes protection from the elements
• Each dog will be provided with housing adequate for moving freely, lying down, and ample room for the full extension of extremities.
• Dog breeders will be required to offer their “covered dogs” regular exercise opportunities and must allow breeding females medically regulated rest periods between litters.

Proposition B Rids Missouri of Unethical Dog BreedersObviously the broadness of these tenets demand intricate description and quantification. One of the most promising components of Proposition B is the attention the Act pays to detail. The intricacies of the above tenets are as follows:

1. “Covered dog” is any dog six months or older with intact sex organs.
2. Dogs must be supplied nutritious food sufficient to maintain good health and clean, unfrozen water that is free of any and all debris.
3. Dogs must be seen every year by a licensed veterinarian and prompt treatment of any wound, injury or illness must be immediately administered. Standards to be governed by the American Veterinary Medical Association.
4. Housing must include constant access to indoor enclosures and protection from the elements. Enclosures must have a solid floor and no animals may be stacked upon another. Housing will be cleaned of waste daily, while the dog is outside of enclosure, and dog housing temperatures are not to exceed 85 degrees Fahrenheit nor fall below 45 degrees.
5. Housing space tenets of this animal rights Act are quite descriptive and can be found within the law’s actual dictates, but the new requirements are wonderfully adequate for the comfort of the enclosed dog.
6. Regular exercise means constant access to a clean outdoor exercise area.
7. ‘Adequate rest between breeding cycles’ dictates that no dog will be bred more than twice in an 18 month period.

Puppy Mill Dogs Now Have A ChanceNotably, the actual hard copy of the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act incorporates minute details allowing animal enforcement officers considerable legal standing when it comes to the regulation of these deplorable, inhumane type dog breeders

The Humane Society of the United States blogger Wayne Pacelle tells of the tension and elation wraught within the facility the night of the November 2nd elections. Wayne says, “I felt a grave sense of responsibility to the dogs languishing at the thousands of mills in the state, and I knew how much was at stake.” Thankfully, the bill passed, and was won by a landslide of 60,000 plus votes.
From:  http://www.suite101.com/content/no-more-puppy-mills—what-proposition-b-means-to-puppy-mills-a306062