Does The Gov Luv Dog Breeders?

I have very recently fallen directly from the womb in to the world of dog rescue; when I landed, I landed flat on my face. That may be a dramatic over-statement, but it feels just about right. In less dramatic words; I'm trying to say I was naïve to the tenth degree.


Over the past month I have had a dog breeder contact me on several occasions, giving me jibes about the strict paperwork I keep, among other things. At first I was a bit confused by this, as I assumed we all had to go by the same Dept of Ag regulations; however, the more I read the rules, the more I began to understand why this breeder would take this all in with a sarcastic laugh at my expense, pun intended.

If the rumors are correct, Missouri is the #2 state in animal overpopulation, running 2nd behind Kentucky. However, regulations for running a rescue are much stricter for our state than many other states with very low animal populations, and we have fees many other states aren't required to pay. The rescue I work with was only 3 months old and our directors had already paid over $1000 out of pocket in vet bills and fees required to start the rescue, when we were required to pay the annual fee, plus the per dog fee to renew our license, not due to any error on our part, but simply because that's the law in Missouri.

So, where does the breeder fit in to all of this? As I'm going through the Dept of Ag regs, for my 3rd time, attempting to understand and remember every detail, I become very aware as to why this breeder takes this all in as a joke. If I'm understanding these forms correctly,  if  you want to send a dog to a lab, not only can a person make a decent living as long as they have no consiense, but they also have almost complete freedom from regulation, second to them is the breeder. After that you get in to the pound, shelter and rescue arena, with animal rescues seeming to have the most restrictions, the most records to keep and the highest fees.

Now, I could be wrong about this; and I would love to be proven wrong on this. If you have time, please read The Dept of Ag CSR 30-9 and, if you understand it, post your opinions here.