Raid on a commercial dog breeder (not necessarily in Missouri) / Photo: HSUS video

By Katerina Lorenzatos Makris

The fact that the Missouri Department of Agriculture has confiscated thousands of dogs from neglectful commercial dog breeders in the past few years is proof that its oversight of the “highly regulated industry” is working, said a representative of the state’s farm bureau.

Kelly Smith, Marketing and Commodities Director of the Missouri Farm Bureau, told attendees at last year’s Animal Agriculture Alliance Summit that animal activists who came to the state in 2010 to push for a law to control “puppy mills,” or large-scale commercial breeders, deliberately did not mention what he described as an already-existing successful system to ensure animal welfare.

According to the Missouri Department of Agriculture’s website, since the launch of Operation Bark Alert in 2009, “more than 5,500 dogs have been rescued in Missouri [from unlicensed dog breeders].” Continue reading →