With Carthage Animal Shelter volunteers in the background holding three dogs seized from an alleged puppy mill, two state leaders came to Carthage to tout their efforts to prosecute unlicensed dog breeders.
Attorney General Chris Koster and Missouri Department of Agriculture Director Jon Hagler held a press conference Tuesday at the Carthage shelter to announce “Prosecution Bark Alert,” what they called the second phase of the state’s effort to stop unlicensed breeding of dogs in Missouri.
Prosecution Bark Alert is the Attorney General’s part in Operation Bark Alert, the Department of Agriculture’s program to seek out puppy mills.
“Missourians are starting to call in and we’ve now received hundreds and hundreds of tips that have now resulted in over 1,900 dogs being rescued and brought to facilities like this one for treatment and rehabilitation,” Koster said. “We’re relying on Missourians across the state to continue this process forward. We’ve dedicated resources at the attorney general’s office to prosecute these cases and the department of agriculture has dedicated resources to investigate our prosecutions.”
On June 16, more than 30 dogs and puppies were brought to the Carthage Humane Society’s shelter at the Cedar Road interchange with U.S. Highway 71 as a result of an Operation Bark Alert seizure of more than 70 dogs from an unlicensed breeder in Webster County.
Carthage Shelter Director Tish Bentlage said the dogs appear to have been neglected, with matted coats and having been fed rendered meat.
Hagler said Operation Bark Alert, which was initiated in February, has so far located more than 200 unlicensed breeders.
“I think that’s an unprecedented accomplishment and it’s a testament not only to the public’s cooperation but to the leadership of Gov. Nixon in starting this initiative and making sure that it’s followed through,” Hagler said. “I think leadership starts at the top and Gov. Nixon and I spent the last three or four years traveling Missouri, talking to families, talking to citizens of all walks of life and one of the concerns that kept coming up over and over again was this reputation, particularly on these unlicensed breeders who are almost always under these conditions where the health and welfare of the animals is at risk so he made it a priority, we made it a priority when he came in and Attorney General Koster coming on board has certainly helped out.
“We hope that at the end of this that we only have three categories of breeders, really exceptional breeders, good breeders moving toward exceptional and those out of business for good.”
