Entire Dog Blog

A Hickory Corners (Michigan) couple who claim to sell 300 Jack Russell Terrier puppies a year are having their membership to a national organization revoked for running what authorities call a puppy mill out of their home.

Jack and Suzette Jones have a special permit allowing up to 140 adult dogs on their property for breeding. Authorities say they had 150 last week, just a month after animal control euthanized 85 dogs that were “not adoptable.” The couple claims to have 139 adult dogs and 30 puppies currently.

The Jack Russell Club of America is in the process of revoking their membership. This would not, however, prevent them from breeding dogs.  Additionally, their local animal control is recommending that the planning commission lower the number of dogs permitted on the property.

Running a small (non dog-related) business in Pennsylvania, I know the pain of trying operate through the maze of weird, arcane and daunting PA regulations. I have not operated a business in other states, but I cannot imagine a state less friendly to small business than Pennyslvania. It is nearly a daily nightmare.

So I am not surprised that, in undertaking the worthy task of making it harder for puppy mills (which no dog lover likes) to operate here, the powers that be in my fine Commonwealth seem to have totally screwed honest, small dog breeders.

The proposal would, among other things, require larger cages, 20 minutes of daily exercise for dogs and force operators to keep records of exercise, sanitation and feeding.

"We think that it gives some clarity to some rather vague regulations that we currently have," Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff told the House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee. "It gives us the ability to address one of our biggest challenges, which is unlicensed kennels."

But smaller kennels and hobby breeders should not be held to the same standards as larger operations, said Julian Prager with the Pennsylvania Federation of Dog Clubs. The federation represents about 100 dog clubs, humane associations and dog-training facilities.

Based on another article about the proposal, the state has also mandated a 6 inch floor drain in kennels, be they in your kitchen, bathroom, garage, etc., and irrespective of the number of dogs being bred.

All told, small breeders are estimating a cost of anywhere from $5,000 to $50,000 just to keep up with the new renovations. How much would you like to bet in one of our new PA casinos that scofflaw puppy mill owners will wind up spending exactly $0 to meet these new regulations?

Pennsylvania has a long history of solving problems by creating new, more difficult problems for honest people. Let's hope this isn't another example. I've lived here long enough to have very little faith that this will be resolved in favor of honest small business.