Missouri fights reputation as 'puppy mill'

[foxfeet]

State pledges to do more to crack down on bad dog breeders

SENECA, Mo. - When authorities raided J.B.'s Precious Puppies, they discovered more than 200 dogs standing in their own excrement, crammed three and four to a cage. Some were so sickly they were missing clumps of hair. The skeletal remains of puppies and adult dogs were found inside pet-food bags.

The ghastly scene deep in the Ozarks has become far too common in Missouri.

Missouri is the "puppy mill" capital of America, home to more than 4,000 shoddy and inhumane dog-breeding businesses, by one estimate. But now the state is trying to shed its reputation, with the chief of the Agriculture Department pledging to do more to crack down on bad breeders.

More at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30073798/

[TwilightGardener]

1. MO makes big money off of puppy mills--the laws there favor them, apparently.

When I was looking for my puppy, I saw shitloads of ads from Missouri. I feel bad for legitimate breeders there, but I would never get an animal from anywhere in MO. Nebraska and Iowa also have their share of mills. Mills get inspected by the USDA, and their breeding registries are made-up shit (Continental Kennel Club--LOL!), rather than having inspections and registry with the American Kennel Club--that's a tipoff.

[HelenWheels]

2. Maybe they need a law and some enforcement to go with it

We help with the springer spaniel rescue ( http://www.springerrescue.org/dogdocs/regions/available.php?reg=MW )and they just had two large rescues one from Kansas (75+ dogs) and one from Missouri (85+ dogs) they're in foster homes with some of the youngest already adopted out.

[HelenWheels]

3. NEVER BUY A DOG/CAT FROM A PET STORE!!!!!

That's the number one way to shut down these awful puppy mills.

Our local Petsmart has cats from a local humane society - in nice well kept kennels. They do background checks and the adoption fee isn't cheap.

[XemaSab]

4. Our Petsmart has humane society cats

and has adoption fairs with dogs from local rescues. :hi:

[foxfeet]

5. One of my rescued cairn terriers is a refugee from Missouri.

Actually, her mom was rescued when pregnant and gave birth in her new foster home in Oregon. I can't stand the thought of those dogs in crates bearing one litter after another, which very likely would have been our dog's fate. I hope Missouri is serious about the crackdown.

[Fountain79]

6. Geez....

First we were one of the leading meth producers and now we are a puppy mill leader? I love my state but people sure do make it hard sometimes....