The city council of St. Joseph, Missouri (north of Kansas City) is proposing an ordinance that will require inspections and licensing along with strict requirements for care and conditions for anyone having three or more intact dogs or cats of any age used for breeding or exhibition. Boarding and rescue facilities are also included. Inspections will be conducted by Animal Control and Rescue personnel, some of whom have a personal agenda in support of the recent Prop B HSUS ballot initiative. 
 
    We are urging immediate action in contacting the city council to voice your opposition to the proposed ordinance which includes the following: 
 
    Limiting the breeding of dogs or cats to produce no more than two litters in any 18 month period.
 
    Includes pet sitters, rescues and any establishment or structure where more than three intact dogs or cats are kept for business, commercial, breeding or exhibition purposes. Intact animal shall be any dog or cat which has intact reproductive organs.
 
    Requires at minimum an examination by a licensed veterinarian at least once yearly for each animal with prompt treatment of ANY illness or injury.
 
    Requires constant and unfettered exercise to an outdoor exercise area with a solid ground level surface with adequate drainage and provides each dog with at least twice the square footage of the indoor space provided for that dog.
 
    Failure to comply with the regulations shall result in revocation of the kennel license (for anyone having more than three intact dogs or cats) in addition to any citation for city code violations. Initial inspection/ license fee shall be $100. Thereafter, the annual license fee shall be $75 with an annual inspection. If a breeding, rescue or boarding facility requires additional inspections due to non-compliant items, the person shall pay $100 for EACH inspection necessary to verify non-compliant items are resolved.  
 
  
    Hobby/show breeders with more than three intact dogs or cats will be required to have annual inspections and pay license fees. Intact dog or cats includes males. The dogs will be required to have unfettered access to outdoors, meaning the owner cannot block them inside the home when at work or away from home. Females delivering puppies could not be blocked inside nor could they when nursing babies their offspring.
 
     Crates for show dogs would not comply with space requirements. An in-home inspection for show animals not in a kennel would be required by animal control officials.
 
    ANY illness or injury would have to be treated by a licensed veterinarian, meaning that the breeder or owner could not treat his or her own dog or cat for even minor issues such as ear infection or cut pad.
 
    Dogs and cats could produce only two litters in any eighteen month period. Inspectors would need to review breeding records to determine whether or not animals were bred.
 
    An outdoor exercise area twice the size of the indoor living area would be required. Would this mean that the outdoor exercise area would have to be twice the size of the house if the dogs have free access to the indoor living areas?
 
    Animal control officers conducting inspections could return over and over, charging $100 per inspection. This could be quite profitable for a disgruntled inspector.
 
    Nothing in this proposal addresses what will happen to the animals in facilities deemed to be in non-compliance.

Liz,
You may also want to forward your email to the people at UPCO in St.Joe. They are the animal supply house from whom many of us in this area purchase kennel equipment/vaccines, etc.
You can get to their website: www.upco.com
Wouldn't hurt for them to see this and at least call the city council. It will cut into their business if this proposed bill passes.

LuAnn