Peaceful Protesters Petition Puppy Mills in Missouri

Protesters with brightly painted hand made signs have become a regular occurrence in and around the busy streets of St. Charles County, Missouri. On Sunday, January 31, 2010, they paced the sidewalks on Mid Rivers Mall Drive at Suemandy, where a relatively new puppy retailer has located their pet store. SEE PHOTOS

Every Sunday between 12pm and 1pm you will see the peaceful protesters with their signs encouraging folks to stop and sign a petition against poor breeding practices in the state of Missouri. While these animal lovers do not belong to any formal group, they have been protesting cruelty to dogs since February of 2008 and recently joined in the efforts as individuals to assist the "Missourians for the Protection of Dogs" in order to help the group acquire the 100,000 plus Missouri Voter signatures needed to put The Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act on the November 2010 ballot in Missouri.

One of the protesting participants, Dayle Barrett tells her story:
"When the Puppies store opened in St.Peters I was appalled and voiced my concerns to my alderman. I was told that they met State standards. I also wrote my Senators but basically was given a form letter answer of the same. When what to my wondering eyes should appear but 8 wonderful protesters one day as I was going home. I pulled over, introduced myself, ask for a sign and I have been there ever since. Most of these people had been protesting together for about a year before I met them. I can't tell you how dedicated and knowledgeable these protesters are. They are not your average citizens. Along with their "other jobs" they give of themselves time to fostering, legal matters concerning animals, and rescue 24/7 in the rains, snow, ice and heat. They stand there peacefully and with determination week after week looking directly at the people that pass by and who for the most part mouth words of gratitude for what they do. I am a novice at this. You can use my name but it is not the name of a person like them that have done the hard work for years and years and whose names should be known. This cause is serious and the Puppy Mills are a shame to most Missourians.

The people that perpetrate this cruelty stand by with millions of dollars knowing this and could care less. I've had one laugh at me and stick out his tongue as he walked back to his trailer of dogs. Another tried to bully one of our protesters until the police were called. This is a peaceful group using their first amendment rights to stand up for these sad pathetic conditions that these dogs live in. Especially cruel are the laws that allow parents of puppies to remain caged for life 24/7, not able to even stretch out or turn around in their cages which are stacked on on top of another not even with solid floors but web floors. Parents are bred until death every heat cycle and which a normal life in these squalor conditions is about five years. They are broken, blind and crippled yet people go and buy from places like Puppies not knowing what the cruelty is behind the cuteness. That is why Missouri supplies 40% of the puppies in stores in the United States. Our laws are shameful and greedy people know this. It is also why Missouri's Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act will pass. Missouri citizens are fed up and things will change. We are there to educate them and turn the tables on the cruel puppy mill owners."

The purpose of the act is to "improve the lives of dogs in commercial breeding operations in Missouri. Specifically, the measure will require large-scale dog breeding operations to provide each breeding dog under their care with the basics of humane animal care" Petitioners would also like to see a significant change in the maximum number of dogs a breeder can have at one time. The Act would cap the number of breeding dogs at 50. Currently some breeders have more than 1,000 dogs.

The group protesting in St. Peters is trying to persuade individuals to adopt homeless pets instead of purchasing from retailers (who typically purchase from large commercial breeders) until this act is passed. One of the group organizers said, "The protests were started by a woman who volunteered at the St Louis City pound on Gasconade when she saw an ad in the paper in early 2008 that there was going to be a "puppy expo" at the Shrewsbury American Legion Hall in Feb 2008. Given that thousands of animals are killed in that shelter she was upset that people were mass-producing puppies for profit when so many others needed homes. She sent out an email asking if people were interested in protesting the event." That is how their efforts began.

The group protested the expo for each of their monthly sales in February, March and April. The expo had originally planned to be there in May and June but did not come back after April. Then they decided to protest Puppy Pros in Fenton, MO. They protested them every Saturday for at least 5 months in 2008. The Puppy Pro's location closed citing relocation as the reason but the group could never locate a new store.

Now the group is focusing their efforts on the Puppies store off Mid Rivers Mall Drive and Suemandy, protesting every Sunday from 12 noon to 1 pm and then on the Pampered Pets store located in the Mid Rivers Mall from 1 to 2 pm. They also protest the Pampered Pets in Chesterfield Mall on Saturdays from 1 to 2.

The protesters have been handing out fliers to educate people about their cause. They want to make sure people know they are not protesting the treatment of the puppies. They oppose the treatment of the dogs who are being bred in small cages without an opportunity of enjoying a full life.

Their flier directs you to PetShopPuppies.org to learn more about puppy mills in general. The website states that "Missouri produces more puppies for pet shops than any other state--in fact, they produce almost as many puppies as all the other states combined. One of the reasons that Missouri puppy mills flourish is that they are endorsed and promoted by the Missouri Department of Agriculture." This has promoted a sort of "Puppy-Farming" that allows breeders to treat dogs like livestock. Something this group and the Missourians for the Protection of Dogs is strongly against. Other states have stricter regulations which is why Missouri is the number on supplier of puppies.

Petshoppuppies.org has posted photos of caged dogs under poor breeding conditions on their website. These conditions are the basis for their protest, not the puppy stores themselves. But the puppy store has to purchase their pets from somewhere, and most of the retailers are buying them from these puppy mills right here in our back yard. CLICK HERE TO VIEW IMAGES OF PUPPY FARMS

The Missourians for the Protection of Dogs organization "is a separate organization spearheaded by the Humane Society of Missouri, the Missouri Alliance for Animal Legislation, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and The Humane Society of the United States." The group that has been protesting in St. Peters, St. Charles, and Chesterfield want to make it very clear that they are not a part of the group. Their group has been protesting since February of 2008 to educate people about where pet store puppies come from. The Missourians for the Protection of Dogs was formed in November of 2009 and started the petition that this group (which was already together) joined in to help gather signatures for the petition. They assured me that once the goal of signatures was reached, they would still continue to protest for their cause to ensure proper treatment of dogs in the breeding environment.

If you would like to participate in one of their demonstrations all you need to do is show up. You can bring your own sign or they will provide one for you. If you have questions about the demonstrations or where to sign the petition you can call 314-330-1989 or email banmopuppymills@yahoo.com.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

To learn more about The Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act, visit the website at: http://hsus.salsalabs.com/o/17001/p/salsa/web/common/public/content?content_item_KEY=9

Missourians for the Protection of Dogs also has a Facebook Page at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Missourians-for-the-Protection-of-Dogs/217551254652