Boone County officials investigate puppy mills

There are an estimated 4,000 puppy mills in Missouri.

By Lyndsie Manusos

Published April 9, 2009

Puppy mills haven't been found in Boone County yet, but county officials and local animal shelters are working to combat puppy mills across the state.

The Boone County Sheriff's Department and the Boone County Health Department said there haven't been any local cases, despite the estimated 4,000 puppy mills in Missouri.

"We've had people who've had too many dogs or horses," Boone County Sheriff's Department Detective Tom O'Sullivan said. "We have never had a puppy mill case that I am aware of in the county."

Gerry Worley, the Environment Health Manager of the Boone County Health Department, also said there are no known puppy mills in Boone County.

In spite of this, O'Sullivan said the department is prepared if a puppy mill is found.

"It's a complaint-driven process," O'Sullivan said, "If someone is unhappy with a purchase of a pet, they would contact a humane society and they would start the investigation that way."

O'Sullivan said the sheriff's department would ask for the help of the Humane Society and animal control during the bust of a puppy mill.

"Obviously they would take custody of the animals and have them receive adequate attention," O'Sullivan said.

The Central Missouri Humane Society, located in Columbia, works closely with the Missouri Department of Agriculture on puppy mill busts. Shelter spokesman Halley Taylor said the shelter plays an active role in taking the neglected dogs.

"Sometimes they call us when they're on the way to bust a mill," she said. "We have to prepare vaccinations and the staff for the dogs to come to our facility."

When the Humane Society takes in neglected dogs, Taylor said the animals are put through health and temperament tests to see if the animals can be put up for adoption.

"A lot of them have come in with personality flaws, like with neglect," Taylor said. "The only contact some of them has had has been abusive, so they're terrified."

Animal rights groups, like the St. Louis Animal Rights Team, are also active in protesting and educating the public on the issue of puppy mills.

"It's important to educate them about the situation," President Mare Florentino said. "The key is to try to directly target people who are looking to buy these dogs."

The group has been protesting puppy mills for the last six months at the Chesterfield Mall, where Pampered Pets, a pet store, is located. Florentino said the lack of enforcement is the problem with puppy mills.

"Even if they try to get stricter inspections, there are 4,000 breeders in the state and there are only about 11 inspectors, so do the math," she said.

Taylor said the breeders at puppy mills mainly care about making money and buyers should be wise in their search for the perfect dog.

"If a breeder asks to meet you in a parking lot at a Wal-Mart, that's a shady situation," Taylor said. "That means they don't want you to see their facility. They have these schemes that they like to pull."

Taylor said that, unlike puppy mills, the Central Missouri Humane Society doesn't care about the profit, but the wellbeing of the dogs.

"It has nothing to do with the profit the shelter is making, but that the animal has a forever home," Taylor said.