Dog Breeder Says Prop B is "Unreasonable."

Intro:	Proposition B--a ballot issue designed to protect dogs in commercial breeding facilities--comes before Missouri voters this November. But as Scott Kanowsky tells us, if it passes smaller dog breeders will feel the effects.
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Wrap:

Actuality:	KIMNAT1.WAV
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Description: "Come on, come on. (Dogs barking NAT)."

Jon Kimes is a small-time dog breeder in Kansas City.

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Description: "Dogs barking."

On this crisp early fall morning, his dogs--currently 10 in all--frolic in large cages.

Kimes says he breeds dogs for show, not profit.

Regardless, Missouri's Proposition B--which limits breeders to 50 breeding dogs and strict kennel sizes--effects his operation.

Actuality:	KIMES6.WAV
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Description: "I'm having this external source telling me how to take care of my dogs, which I resent because they don't know how to take care of dogs."

Barbara Schmitz is the Missouri director for The Humane Society of the United States and orginally petitioned for Prop B.

For 18 years she has been an advocate for dog protection in Missouri.

Actuality:	SCHMIT4.WAV
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Description: "We are by far the largest producer of puppies in the country and have some of the most miserable conditions."

And while Kimes says he agrees, that's not his main problem with Prop B.

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Description: "I'm standing in the basement of Jon Kimes' dog breeding facility. In this room is where the dogs sleep every night, but there's one problem, this room is not connected to the outside. And if Prop B passes, Kimes would have build a runway going from the inside to the outside. A cost, Kimes says, that will cost him nearly $40,000."

Actuality:	KIMES7.WAV
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Description: "I defy them to ever find anybody in the United States that has a kennel built the way they're specifing it be built. If they could find up to one example, even in the state of Missouri, I would be impressed."

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Description: "Dogs barking..."

But even though he's mad about these rules, Kimes still says he thinks it's important to regulate over-sized dog breeding operations.

Except, he says, the actual amount of dogs at these facilities is deeply underestimated.

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Description: "I think that you will not necessarily find puppy mills with 65 dogs. I think you'll find puppy mills with 100 dogs, with 200 dogs, with 300 dogs."

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Description: "Missouri is ground zero for this type of activity."

Currently the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports there are more than 1,000 commercial dog breeders in Missouri alone.

To put that into context, Arkansas is the closest state with just over 400 dogs.

And only weeks ago, an over-sized dog breeding facility in Camdenton, Missouri had nearly 100 dogs taken away by animal control.

Schmitz, however, says she believes Prop B will give Missouri voters a chance to challenge these operations.

Actuality:	SCHMIT5.WAV
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Description: "Missouri will step up. This has been a problem for a long time, this is Missouri's problem and we're going to fix it."

But Jon Kimes is not the only one who feels Prop B is not actually fixing the problem.

The Missourians for Animal Care Coalition, which includes a number of groups supporting farmers in the Show-Me State, say the proposition is an effort to limit the agriculture industry and, more specifically, confined animal feeding operations.

Actuality:	KIMNAT3.WAV
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Description: "Dogs barking."

Kimes says even though he doesn't think Prop B will solve dog breeding issues, he knows how Missourians will vote.

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Description: "I think it absolutely will pass. Especially the way it will presented on the ballot, who's not going to vote for animal cruelty."

He'll have to wait until November 2 to see if he's correct.

From the state Capitol, I'm Scott Kanowsky, NewsRadio 1120 KMOX.

Intro:	Missouri's Proposition B is designed to protect dogs in commercial breeding operations. But does it end up hurting all dog breeders? Scott Kanowsky has more from Jefferson City.
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Wrap: Jon Kimes is a Kansas City-based show dog breeder.

He says he believes Prop B places overly harsh and unreasonable expectations on dog breeding facilties, no matter the size, across the state.

In particular, he says he dislikes the rule requiring breeders to connect both indoor and outdoor kennels.

Actuality:	KIMES7.WAV
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Description: "I defy them to ever find anybody in the United States that has a kennel built the way they're specifing it be built. If they could find up to one example, even in the state of Missouri, I would be impressed."

Representatives from Missouri dog protection groups argue the state needs regulation because it has the most commercial dog breeders in the U.S.

Currently there are over a thousand of these breeders in the Show-Me State.

From the state Capitol, I'm Scott Kanowsky, NewsRadio 1120 KMOX.

Intro:	Supporters of Missouri's Proposition B say the regulations give new protections to dogs. But not all agree. Scott Kanowsky has more from Jefferson City.
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Wrap: Barbara Schmitz has been an advocate for dog rights since she first saw a newscast depicting commercial dog breeding facilities 18 years ago.

And in Missouri--where there are nearly five hundred more of these breeders than in any other state--Schmitz feels regulation like Prop B is of the highest importance.

Actuality:	SCHMIT5.WAV
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Description: "Missouri will step up. This has been a problem for a long time, this is Missouri's problem and we're going to fix it."

Smaller breeders argue against Prop B, saying its rules place on them undue financial burdens.

If passed on November 2, the proposition will limit breeders to 50 breeding dogs and strict kennel sizes.

From the state Capitol, I'm Scott Kanowsky, NewsRadio 1120 KMOX.

Intro:	A Kansas City-based dog breeder says Proposition B--a ballot issue that places new limits on breeders--is "unreasonable." Scott Kanowsky has more from Jefferson City.
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Wrap: Missouri's Proposition B makes commercial dog breeders have no more than 50 breeding dogs at a time and follow stricter kennel regulations.

Supporters say the legislation deals with a huge problem in Missouri, opponents like Kansas City-based show dog breeder John Kimes say it is not necessary.

Actuality:	KIMES6.WAV
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Description: "I'm having this external source telling me how to take care of my dogs, which I resent because they don't know how to take care of dogs."

Kimes says he would have to spend nearly 40 thousand dollars to meet Prop B requirements.

But those from Missouri animal rights groups say the proposition gives more protection to dogs in a state where there are more than a thousand commercial dog breeders.

From the state Capitol, I'm Scott Kanowsky, NewsRadio 1120 KMOX.