Bob Baker, The Executive Director Of Missouri Alliance for Animal Legislation Has Worked For Years To Try To End Puppy Mills and Animal Abuse

Bob Baker

Executive Director

Missouri Alliance for Animal Legislation

Bob Baker has been active in animal welfare since 1977 and is a nationally recognized authority on animal cruelty. His work on investigations, legislative initiatives, and his advocacy efforts on behalf of animals, has been widely acclaimed. Bob brings extensive experience to the Alliance, having worked for both national and local humane organizations during his career. While with the ASPCA, he played a key role in efforts to combat the cruelties of puppy mills and to effect the passage of precedent setting legislation in Pennsylvania regulating large-scale commercial dog breeding operations. In addition, Bob served as Chief Investigator for the Humane Society of the United States for several years.

His investigations into animal fighting ventures led to the arrests of more than 1,000 individuals. He also spearheaded an extensive investigation into the commercial dog breeding industry, inspecting more than 1000 puppy mills during the past thirty years. These efforts generated a tremendous amount of national publicity, the closing of numerous puppy mills, a probe by the federal government’s General Accounting Office, and the closing of the nation’s largest pet store chain, Docktors Pet Center.

Bob’s investigations into farm animal cruelty have uncovered wide-scale abuses at the largest hog and dairy operations in the country. As a result, one of the largest dairy farms in America agreed to Bob’s demand that they reduce their herd of cows by 15,000 to prevent neglect. At Bob’s insistence they also agreed to a key provision in their contract with the United Farm Workers whereby workers could not be disciplined for reporting animal abuse to the authorities and animal welfare organizations.

In addition, Bob has investigated horse racing and dog racing abuses, dog theft rings, cults that sacrifice animals, as well as numerous other forms of animal abuse.

Bob not only fought to expose cruelty but lobbied to enact laws to prevent such abuse in the future. He initiated and worked on local, state, and federal legislation to improve the welfare of animals. His efforts led to the successful passage of legislation in forty-two states, through direct lobbying activity as well

as grassroots lobbying efforts, including the passage of stricter animal abuse laws for horse racing, dog racing, dog fighting, cockfighting, puppy mills, and pet stores. He also worked on regulatory initiatives and increased enforcement efforts by federal and state government agencies.

Most recently, Bob was actively involved in the Prop B campaign against puppy mills in Missouri and was instrumental in the subsequent passage of the Canine Cruelty Prevention Act and increased enforcement efforts that have led to the closure of 1,100 puppy mills in Missouri in the past few years.

Bob conceived and aided in the production of several national news exposes on animal abuse including pieces on “60 Minutes,” “20/20,” “Dateline,” “HBO” and “Animal Planet.” He has been a tireless spokesperson over the years on a host of animal issues.

Prior to working in animal welfare, Bob owned and raced both thoroughbred and standardbred horses. First-hand observation of the drug abuse practices in horse racing prompted him to write the book, The Misuse of Drugs in Horse Racing, which resulted in major reforms in the horse racing industry.