Serving the Midwest

Our organization began with a small group of determined individuals, committed to providing a voice to pet animals in need. Since then, our organization has expanded to the Midwest region to build upon our legislative success in Kansas to advocate for better pet animal protection.

Currently, we focus our efforts in Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri.

IOWA

End Breed-Specific Legislation (BSL) in Iowa

Iowa has at least ninety municipalities or areas with breed-based restrictions or BSL, an exceedingly high number for a state the size of Iowa. BSL restricts dog ownership by breed, creating undue hardship for dogs and dog owners. These laws have high costs to our community animal shelters, local animal control, and the taxpayer, are difficult to enforce, and perpetuate an unnecessary homeless pet population. Iowa communities should have the local authority to own whichever dog breed they want, without worry.

Increased Public Transparency for Pet Shop Sales

It’s estimated that 90% of puppies found in pet store are purchased from a puppy mill. Pet stores who sell puppies from a breeder or animal broker are often linked to sourcing their puppies from a puppy mill where sick, injured, and mistreated adult dogs and puppies have been found again and again by federal and state inspectors. Iowa pet stores should be required to be more transparent about where their puppies being sold are from, their health, their care, and more.

Iowa Legislation

The 2022 legislative session in Iowa will begin in January and run through April. Please read below to see what legislation we supported or opposed during the 2021 legislative session.

Support – Senate File 143


SF 143 has been introduced in the Iowa Senate to end breed-specific legislation in Iowa. This bill would prohibit Iowa’s municipalities from enacting BSL, and still allow for the adoption of more effective dangerous dog legislation that does not discriminate against specific dog breeds.

Support – House File 59

This bill would restrict the ability of a city or county to ban a specific breed of dog.  Rep. Jennifer Konfrst (D-West Des Moines) introduced the bill which was referred to the House Local Government Committee. 

Support – House File 623

This bill provides immunity protection to a licensed vet when helping law enforcement with an animal abuse

investigation or a municipality in recovering a threatened animal.  

Oppose – House File 513 & Senate File 415

These bills allow casinos to simulcast horse and dog racing from foreign tracks. There are seven countries with legalized greyhound racing, two of which have tracks with abysmal animal welfare conditions and little to no oversight or regulation.

Oppose – Senate File 302

This legislation that would gut Iowa’s companion animal welfare law, make it more difficult for rescue organizations to work with law enforcement, limits the scope of investigations into animal abuse cases, imposes a burdensome process to investigate and charge someone with animal abuse, eliminates any immunity for veterinarians and municipalities if the court finds against them and restricts the ability of law enforcement to enter private property if an allegation of abuse is made.

Oppose – Senate File 483

This bill preempts cities and counties from having ordinances for working animals, furrier, fairs, zoos, puppy mills and pet stores. This bill would prevent local communities from setting common sense public safety and nuisance laws (Formerly SSB 1195).

Oppose – Senate File 435

This bill amends 717B (treatment of companion

animals) to exempt a person who acts in a manner consistent with customary animal husbandry practices from prosecution for animal neglect or abuse. The bill is promoted by people who raise rabbits for either food or fiber. However, the language goes much broader and would apply to any companion animal.

KANSAS

Prevent Greyhound Racing From Returning to Kansas

Greyhound racing is a dying sport – now illegal in more than 40 states. Increased public awareness has brought light to a cruel practice and the competition for other forms of gambling has led to greyhound racing being phased out across the nation. Although live greyhound racing ended in Kansas in 2008, the state has yet to ban greyhound racing outright, or decouple it from various forms of gambling, like sports wagering, that could require its return. Kansas should listen to the public’s growing disapproval, and prohibit the return of greyhound

racing to the state.

End Puppy Mills in Kansas

Statewide, there are 273 commercial dog breeding operations, many of them operating as a puppy mill that puts the profit of an animal above all else. The Kansas Pet Animal Act (KPAA) is outdated and cannot guarantee the health, safety, and welfare of pets being used, raised, and sold in Kansas, and it’s allowing puppy mills to thrive in Kansas. The Kansas legislature should update the thirty-three-year-old KPAA to better the requirements and protection for pet animals being used and sold from dog breeding operations and pet stores, and help put an end to puppy mills in the state. 

Kansas Legislation

The 2022 legislative session in Kansas will begin in January and run through May. Please read below to see what legislation we supported or opposed during the 2021 legislative session.

Support – Senate Bill 262

SB 262 would BAN greyhound racing in Kansas.

Support – House Bill 2364

HB 2364 adds to the definition of torture to include abandonment, which would make abandoning an animal a Level 1 felony and carry a minimum jail sentence and fine.

Oppose – House Bill 2199

House Bill 2199 incentivizes the return of greyhound racing by authorizing sports wagering for racinos. This bill must be amended to remove racinos and expand the prohibition of betting on greyhound races to ALL greyhound races, anywhere.

Oppose- Senate Bill 84

SB 84 authorizes sports wagering. As originally written, the bill prohibits betting on greyhound races in Kansas but would allow sports wagering on races outside the state.

Oppose – House Substitute for Substitute for Senate Bill 84

The language of HB 2199 has been inserted into Sub for SB 84. This bill incentivizes the return of greyhound racing by authorizing sports wagering for racinos, authorizing a slot machine re-vote in Sedgwick County, and allowing sports wagering on greyhound races outside of Kansas.

The House must discuss and vote before being sent to the Senate to concur or non concur and sent to a 6 person conference committee (3 from the House and 3 from the Senate). The conference committee limits opportunities for input and debate.

MISSOURI

End Breed-Specific Legislation (BSL) in Missouri

BSL restricts dog ownership by breed, creating undue hardship for dogs and dog owners. BSL have high costs to our community animal shelters, local animal control, and the taxpayer, are difficult to enforce, and perpetuate an unnecessary homeless pet population. Missouri communities should have the local authority to own whichever dog breed they want, without worry.

Protect Pets Left in Hot Cars in Missouri

On a 85° day, the temperature inside a parked car can rocket to 100° in just eight minutes. An animal left unattended in a hot car can suffer irreparable organ damage and even death. This is an unavoidable tragedy happening far too often. The Missouri legislature should pass a statewide law to grant any person the legal right, with immunity (or protection) from liability, to rescue a vulnerable pet animal from a vehicle when the animal is in imminent danger.

Missouri Legislation

The 2022 legislative session in Missouri will begin in January and run through May. Please read below to see what legislation we supported or opposed during the 2021 legislative session.

Support – House Bill 365 & Senate Bill 107

Missouri HB 365 and SB 107 have been introduced in the Missouri Legislature. Each bill would prohibit Missouri’s municipalities from enacting BSL. Instead, it would allow and encourage communities to evaluate more effective legislation to regulate dangerous dogs, like dog licensing laws, leash laws, and laws that require all owners to control their dogs, regardless of breed.

Support – Senate Bill 71

Under this act, adult protection orders and child protection orders may be granted to restrain an individual from committing or threatening to commit abuse against a pet. A protection order may include an order of custody of the pet where appropriate, as well as any funds needed to cover the medical costs resulting from abuse of the pet.

Support – House Bill 1285 & Senate Bill 630

Provides immunity from civil liability for persons who render assistance to animals trapped in motor vehicles.

Support – House Bill 373

Modifies provisions relating to offenses against animals.

Oppose – House Bill 647


HB 647 specifies that no law, ordinance, or rule may be enacted by any village, town, city or county to terminate, ban, or effectively ban, by creating an undue financial hardship, the job of working animals or an animal enterprise. These provisions do not alter state or federal laws that regulate animal care, public health, and safety. The provisions of this bill do not prevent the establishment of or alter any village, town, city or county or law, ordinance, or rule regarding animal care, public health, traffic regulations, or public safety unless it is in violation of the provisions of the bill.

Oppose – House Bill 841


HB 841 specifies that no law, ordinance, or rule may be enacted by any village, town, city or county to

terminate, ban, or effectively ban, by creating an undue financial hardship, the job of working animals or animal enterprises. These provisions do not alter state or federal laws that regulate animal care, public health, and safety. The provisions of this bill do not prevent the establishment of or alter any village, town, city or county or law, ordinance, or rule regarding animal care,

public health, traffic regulations, or public safety unless it is in violation of the provisions of the bill.

Oppose – House Bill 589


HB 589 changes the laws regarding the confiscation of animals.

This bill restricts the time frame for disposition hearing from thirty days to ten days for animals to be evaluated to determine abuse. Ten days is not enough time for a vet to make a determination of abuse in a breeder's operation.

Oppose – Senate Bill 412


Under SB 412, no law, ordinance, or rule shall be enacted by any political subdivision of the state that terminates, bans, or effectively bans, by creating undue financial hardship, the job or use of working animals

or an enterprise employing working animals. Nothing in the act shall prevent the establishment of or alter the laws, ordinances, or rules of a political subdivision regarding animal care, public health, or public safety; unless such law, ordinance, or rule is in violation of the act, in which case, the act shall supersede such law, ordinance, or rule.

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