News

"Misery in Missouri" Art Exhibit - Call For Artists

Missouri has earned a reputation as the “Puppy Mill Capitol of the Midwest” due to its many, filthy, overcrowded, and poorly regulated pet breeding locations where animals suffer a miserable existence.

“Misery in Missouri” is an art exhibit sponsored by the Missouri Alliance for Animal Legislation. The goal of the exhibit is to shed light on the Missouri puppy mill problem through a visual means. The show will be displayed in Springfield, MO from September 1 to 12 and Columbia, MO later in September. Unsold works will be available for display at other events through February 2009.

Artists are encouraged to submit photographs of original works to be judged for inclusion in the show. See the following for more information:

If you do not have Microsoft Word and Excel, you can also read, update and print the above files from Open Office which is free. The files can also be read and printed with Word Viewer for the doc files and Excel Viewer for the xls file.

Submissions must be done by mail or email and received by August 1. Note: Include a photograph of the art work, not the art work itself.

Dog Fighting Bill Does Not Pass, but Alliance’s Legislative Agenda Moves Forward

After many years of struggle in which the Alliance fought valiantly to prevent numerous legislative measures that would have harmed animal welfare in Missouri, the tables have begun to turn. In 2008, the Alliance was proactive in introducing several pieces of legislation that promoted animal welfare, including three dog fighting bills. In a dramatic shift from the dynamics of past years, it was our opposition that was scrambling in a defensive mode, trying every procedural move possible to prevent any law which would have made it easier to prosecute dog fighting. The issue also helped many legislators view the Alliance in a more positive and mainstream light, and to understand that our opposition (which actually defends animal fighting) represents a dangerous and extreme fringe.

The session began with Sen. Scott Rupp introducing SB 819, which would have increased the penalties for being a repeat spectator at a dog fight. This bill would have also required an early hearing where a judge could decide the fate of the innocent dogs victimized by this brutal crime, and it would have made it easier to seize the property of those involved with dog fighting. SB 819 passed unanimously out of the influential Senate Judiciary Committee in March; however, it was combined with another bill that had a sponsor who did not favor our bill. Therefore, the combined bill languished on the Senate calendar and never came up for a vote on the Senate floor.

In April, Rep. Jane Cunningham filed an identical House bill--HB 2416. Despite some opposition in the committee hearing on increasing the penalties on dog fighting, a “compromise” bill (requiring an early disposition hearing for the dogs) did pass out of the House Special Committee on General Laws. In the final days of the session, this "compromise" version of the bill was attached to a large omnibus bill relating to many, various topics (SB 976) and was passed out of the House by a floor vote of 105-42. Unfortunately, this omnibus bill was sent to a conference committee on the next to last day of the session where most of the provisions, including our dog fighting disposition hearing, were stripped out.

Although it was disappointing that our dog fighting bills did not pass this year, it is extremely difficult to pass any legislation the first year it is proposed. The Alliance's entire lobbying team worked every angle of the dog fighting issue and has laid the groundwork for passing this important legislation next year. The Alliance will continue to work with key leaders in both chambers to ensure that laws relating to dog fighting prosecution will be given a higher priority in 2009.

Open Your Heart Pictures

These photographs are from the Kansas City event. Click a picture to enlarge it.

Photographs by Josie Kern.

Winner of the 2008 Pet Presidential election

"A Cause for Paws...We Need You" was the theme of the fifth annual Open Your Heart St. Louis fundraiser held on February 10, 2008. In keeping with the election year theme, the Alliance featured a pet presidential election. For a registration fee of $10, Alliance supporters could submit a photo of their favorite pet. The photos were displayed at Open Your Heart and attendees were encouraged to "buy" votes for their favorite candidate.

Over 35 dogs and cats participated in the election. The evening of the fundraiser, owners feverishly campaigned for their pet to win the election. By a landslide victory, "Seymour" Moen was elected the Alliance's 2008 Pet President. "Seymour's" proud owner is Amanda Moen.

Past Events

View pictures and read about past events:

Puppies are Biodegradable art exhibit, April 1-8

Missouri "Pet Friendly" License Plates Now Available!

Tell Everyone You're "Pet Friendly": The Missouri Alliance for Animal Legislation is proud to announce the arrival of Pet Friendly license plates in Missouri, with proceeds going to spay and neuter services throughout the state.

We would like to thank all our supporters who helped the Alliance pass legislation to make this possible and encourage each of you to order these plates to help wipe out pet overpopulation.

This specialty plate is just $25 - and $20 from the sale of each pet-friendly license plate is deposited into a fund that pays for spay and neuter services for dogs and cats across Missouri!

This program is administered by the Missouri State Humane Association. More information can be found at http://www.mostatehumane.org/

The Fall 2007 newsletter and the Summer 2007 newsletter are online.

Animal Legislation

The Missouri General Assembly for 2008 ended on May 16, 2008. Read more about the Missouri Alliance's 2008 legislative priorities and the 2008 Missouri animal legislation.