Missouri dog welfare law under fire

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo., Jan. 26 (UPI) -- Missouri legislators are moving to block a voter-approved crackdown on so-called puppy-mill dog-breeding.

At a hearing of the House Agriculture Policy Committee Tuesday, dog breeders said Proposition B, passed in November, would kill their industry, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

Some lawmakers want to curb the law or repeal it altogether before it takes effect in November.

A bill has been introduced to revoke its major provisions, including rules that limit breeders to 50 breeding dogs, ban stacked cages and mandate an annual veterinary exam for each dog.

"Even with state-of-the-art buildings, not one licensed breeder could comply with Proposition B," testified Karen Strange, president of the Missouri Federation of Animal Owners.

Opponents noted the referendum, approved by 51.6 percent statewide, lost by wide margins in rural counties.

Committee Chairman Tom Loehner said he hoped to "work with both sides and see if we can't come to some agreement and still keep our breeders in business."

But Barbara Schmitz, state director for the Humane Society, said Proposition B was "thoroughly debated" and "voters were well-informed."