Rescue Dogs and Democracy
Last year, Missouri citizens who are tired of our state's reputation of "Puppy Mill Capital of America" circulated a petition to place a proposition on the November ballot that would set humane standards for the treatment of dogs and puppies in dog breeding facilities. They collected twice the required amount of signatures, and Proposition B was placed on the ballot. It passed statewide with 51.6% of the vote. Republican legislators immediately began the work of repealing the measure, claiming that it was the beginning of an attack on the freedoms of farmers, that urban voters didn't understand the proposisiton, and that, even though it was passed by a majority of voters, it was defeated in the majority of counties. The state house and senate passed the repeal. The repeal bill (SB113) now heads to the governor for his signature. This is a blatant attempt to overturn the will of the voters as expressed in a free and fair election. We MUST convince Governor Nixon to veto this repeal, to reinstate democracy, and to give dogs the protection from puppy mill cruelty they deserve.