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State legislators may revisit new puppy mill law
Proposition B, also known as the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act, was narrowly passed by voters in the Nov. 2 election, having received heavy support in urban areas; but in Vernon County, 73.5 percent of the voters said "no" to the measure.
Some were elated, others were not, but as the Missouri legislative session approaches, State Representative Barney J. Fisher said that it's likely legislators will need to do something to tweak the new law in some way, in a brief address to those in attendance at a recent luncheon hosted by the Nevada/Vernon County Area Chamber of Commerce.
"There's one major flaw in it," in that near the end of the proposition, it states that "Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit hunting or the ability to breed, raise, or sell hunting dogs."
So, unscrupulous breeders could simply claim they are breeding hunting dogs and elude the provisions of the new law.
"There's no definition of 'hunting dog,' either. So nobody really knows what that means," Fisher said.
"If it were my intention to violate" this new legislation, "I would breed Labrador retrievers."
There's some question, as well, as to whether the new law will meet Constitutional muster; but that's a matter for the courts to decide; but Fisher said the law is "poorly written," and is likely to be among the issues faced by legislators in 2011.