Morrison County approves dog breeding kennel
by Tim Post, Minnesota Public RadioCommissioners in Morrison County have given the go-ahead for a large dog breeding kennel near Little Falls. The controversial proposal has received national attention from animal rights groups. The outcome of the fight could lead to stricter state and local regulation of large dog kennels.
Little Falls, Minn. — After months of legal action, raucous meetings and national exposure, it was a quiet voice vote that gave Gary McDuffee the go ahead to start a large dog kennel near Little Falls.
Commissioners approved a breeding kennel that that will hold 500 dogs. McDuffee's first proposal last year called for 600 dogs.
Morrison County officials know the controversy isn't over. But county administrator Tim Houle says there's nothing illegal about this type of facility in Minnesota.
"I think many of the opponents of the project would like to have this issue resolved in the court of public opinion," Houle says. "The fact is the county board had to live within the court of law."
Houle says if people don't like big dog breeding facilities, they should stop buying puppies from pet stores that sell the dogs. The other option is a change in law.
That's what Debbie Nelson says she plans to do. Nelson lives near the kennel site.
"I'm going to work on legislation, I'm going to work on the ordinance and work on helping other counties to work on ordinances so they don't have to go through this, we're going to work on it on the state level, we're not done," Nelson says.
In the meantime the legal fight over the dog kennel isn't over. A lawsuit is pending in court claiming county commissioners didn't properly evaluate the environmental affects of the facility.
