Good Neighbors

Morrison County approves another puppy mill, while others make new ordinances against them.

By Kelli Ohrtman: Best Friends Network

Hearts sank when the Morrison County board announced recently that Gary McDuffee would be re-issued his permit to keep and breed 500 dogs. (Click Here to read the full story). After a full year of media attention and public outcry from across the country, the decision was a shock to many. However, some good did arise from the whole debacle; even though Morrison County decided to continue allowing giant puppy factories, nearby Sherburne County put its foot down and made a new ordinance against them.

Jon Sevald, county planner in Sherburne County said, “We had been working on the revision months before… when Morrison County came up, it came to protecting ourselves against puppy mills, especially when it was in the news so much.” Sherburne County doesn’t have as many breeders with as many dogs as Morrison County; in fact most of their residents’ kennels are for boarding, training or sled dogs. But the county took a look at its ordinance anyway, and made changes to make sure that no large-scale breeders could set up shop in the county. Sevald said, “With the old CUP ordinance, there was no limitation on the number [of dogs allowed] unless it was specifically mentioned in the CUP.”

That’s the problem with most counties’ current ordinances. Most require a Conditional Use Permit if residents are housing more than four adult dogs, but there’s no cap on the total number. Sevald said that with the old, commonly used ordinance, “there wasn’t a lot of control.”

Sherburne County’s New Rules
So the county consulted with Keith Streff, Director of Humane Investigations at the Animal Humane Society in Golden Valley, MN for advice on how to draw up a new ordinance that would give the county the control needed to make sure breeders and kennel operators were doing a good job. The changes caps the number of breeding female dogs at 10, and a total number of dogs allowed at 40. Sevald said, “We went with 40 [total dogs] because we thought it would be enough for two dog sledding packs, and the ten [allowed breeding females] was at the Humane Society’s suggestion.”

In addition to regulating the number of dogs allowed, the county also now requires yearly license renewals and inspections. In essence, the new license requirements in Sherburne County allows a miniscule number of breeding dogs compared to the numbers at some in Morrison County. Click Here to read the full text of Sherburne County’s new ordinance.

Morrison County also plans to change its ordinance, but the chances that they will make changes as progressive and preventative as Sherburne County are slim to none. One has to remember is that McDuffee isn’t the only breeder in Morrison County with hundreds of dogs and puppies. At least five other large-scale commercial dog breeders are still churning out dogs at full speed. To define “large scale,” just one breeder in Morrison County had an inventory of 1,068 dogs in a 2004 USDA inspection.*

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Many possible solutions

Statewide
-SF 121, a bill now stalled in the MN Senate requires statewide licensing for breeders. Proponents are hopeful, but doubtful the bill will even be heard this year, but building awareness for next session is imperative for change.

County Level
Other counties (like Sherburne) can adopt their own, stricter ordinances to limit large-scale breeding. Residents in all states can contact their county and ask about the current ordinance for commercial dog kennels, and whether they would consider enacting such as Sherburne’s.

Keep fighting McDuffee’s Kennel
-No one is giving up the protest to Gary McDuffee’s permit issued by Morrison County. The same group that originally blew the whistle on his many previous violations and the haste with which the county seemed to grant his permit is planning to appeal once again. Supporters of the effort can contribute to legal fees and read more about the case at Animal Ark’s website.

*USDA Inspection reports no longer contain total numbers of dogs and puppies.

Map Courtesy of Digital Map Store