The reality facing dogs

Regarding the April 6 letter titled “Unfounded claims hurt dog-breeding business”:

Daniel Reece wrote that not everything is as it was reported by the media in regards to the raid on the dog breeding facility near Wyoming. The Jones County sheriff and county attorney offices determined there was sufficient evidence and concerns about this facility. Two veterinarians went into the facility and determined that 60-plus animals needed to be removed for numerous health reasons.

These dogs received veterinary care and the facility owner made changes to his operation. If everything was in compliance with this U.S. Department of Agriculture-licensed facility, then why were changes needed and made? The USDA has minimum standards that need to be met and it is the responsibility of the authorities to investigate.

At this point, Jones County still is considering criminal charges against the kennel owner. The USDA finding has not been released.

Reece also stated that the majority of the breeders are small family businesses that do what they do for the love of their animals. The reality for many of the 2,100 breeding kennels in Iowa is hundreds of dogs, small cages stacked and little human interaction.

If you are interested in finding out what a “puppy mill” is, go to www.humanesociety.org, or if you would like to see pictures of just a few dogs removed from the Wyoming kennel, go to www.lasthope

rescueia.org

Sonia Brandley

Director

Last Hope Rescue Iowa