Letter to the Editor: Prop B offers safer benefits for pets

Most people in this country think of dogs as friends or even members of the family.  Yet our state law considers them as agricultural commodities (like chickens, cows and pigs) to be bred and sold for profit.  This is a significant disconnect and one that Prop B addresses.

 Prop B limits the number of dogs that can be kept for breeding purposes to no more than fifty.  Most people will agree that this is still a really large number, especially considering how prolific the species is (a single female dog can produce an average of two litters per year, with an average of five puppies per litter). More dogs might mean more money for breeders, but for the rest of us who understand that there is a dog overpopulation problem in this country, more dogs means more cruelty or neglect, more suffering and more death. Since millions of unwanted animals are euthanized in this country every year, surely a limit on breeding dogs is not only necessary, but in fact a moral imperative.

 Prop B also improves current language in the Missouri Revised Statute, Chapter 273.329, where it states that "failure to provide adequate food, water, housing or sanitary facilities for animals" is a punishable offense. Although Chapter 273.325 includes some basic definitions of the term "adequate," Prop B includes many more details as it describes adequate care, specifying, for example, that breeding animals should have access to water that is not frozen, be kept within a comfortable temperature range (45 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit) and be allowed access to an outdoor exercise area. Most people will agree that these requirements for adequate care are quite reasonable.  

If approved, this new language can be used as a guide for people who want to run ethical, mid-sized operations (they will have a year to update facilities in order to comply) and as a tool for law enforcement officials who need just cause to shut down irresponsible breeding operations.

 There is nothing to fear in Prop B. Contrary to what opponents are saying, Prop B will have no impact on other animal agriculture, because it deals specifically with the domestic dog (canis lupus familiaris). There is no way that this language could be twisted to mean cattle, hogs or poultry. (Any attempt to regulate other animal agriculture would require an entirely different proposition, which would almost certainly fail in Missouri.) Proposition B has nothing to do with animals that are raised for food and everything to do with animals that we keep as friends. Since they give us so much companionship, assistance and devotion, dogs deserve better.

 The full text of this legislation is available online: http://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/2010petitions/2010-085.asp. Please take the time to read the language, and then let information and compassion guide your vote on Nov. 2.

Bridget Thomas

 Professor of Classics