Feel Free to give him your opinion on puppy mills!
McDuffee, Gary and Wanda /Happy Tails Kennel
1805 Riverview Dr., Little Falls, MN 56345
Ph: 320-632-3870
Cell: 320-232-9090
Fax: 320-632-8315
Opponents ask investigation of kennel permit
Animal advocates have asked the FBI to look into the Morrison County Board's vote to approve.
Paul Levy, Star Tribune
Last update: January 28, 2006 – 9:04 PM
BELLE PRAIRIE TOWNSHIP, MINN. -- At night, as Debbie and Roger Nelson drive along the gravel road leading to their farm, they pass a new "No Trespassing" sign on neighboring property and hear dogs barking. "Lots of them," Debbie Nelson said Saturday.
But the Nelsons and other opponents to a proposed breeding kennel with 600 adult dogs are howling, too. They have asked the FBI to investigate the Morrison County Board for allegedly misrepresenting itself in granting a permit for the kennel.
And a "Stop the Puppy Mill in Morrison County" petition is circulating via the Internet, prompting animal advocates across North America to howl, as well.
The Morrison County Board has been inundated with complaints from across the nation, "unlike anything we've ever seen here," said Tim Houle, county administrator.
"I know the [kennel] industry is controversial, but I don't understand this e-mail attack against me," said Gary McDuffee, the prospective kennel owner.
McDuffee, a 25-year veteran of the kennel business, said: "People who know me know what kind of business I run."
When McDuffee, 52, a Little Falls special education teacher, sought county approval to open a dog-breeding kennel in Belle Prairie Township, 4 miles northeast of Little Falls, opponents complained about his plans to debark some of the dogs (a surgical procedure that quiets barking) and about the sheer size of the proposed kennel.
They also grumbled that the county board deemed unnecessary an environmental assessment of the kennel's effect on bordering wetlands.
McDuffee says that no formal complaints have ever been lodged against his operation of two other kennels in Morrison County. But opponents note that his former business partner and ex-wife, Wanda McDuffee, has been suspended until 2008 by the American Kennel Club for misrepresenting breeds, according to Daisy Okas, a Kennel Club spokesperson.
Gary McDuffee, who plans to retire as a teacher at the end of the school year, said he is no longer in partnership with his ex-wife and declined to comment further.
McDuffee also declined to say when he planned to open his kennel. Asked when dogs were to be brought onto the property, he would not comment.
"I can promise you that these dogs will be raised to be pets," he said. "Every one of them will be kept clean, socialized and be named."
'There are dogs there'
But among the fears listed in the Internet petition is "that this kennel will be nothing more than a puppy mill where the dogs will live in filth and misery for all their days."
On Saturday, eight animal advocates from the Twin Cities and Morrison County met at the Nelsons' rural home. On Friday, they obtained a Minneapolis attorney.
The group called an area utility worker, who told the Nelsons on Saturday that he did not see any dogs in a shed on the property last week.
"Oh, there are dogs there," said neighbor Jeremy Dickmann, who lives across the road from the kennel property. "I hear them at night."
The property, which McDuffee said he recently bought from Harvey Block, has a controversy of its own. Block had obtained a conditional land-use permit from the county board, which was then passed along to McDuffee.
Among the county board members who agreed to the conditional-use permit by a 4 to 1 vote was Bill Block, who describes Harvey Block as "a distant cousin who I do not really know personally."
When asked whether there were plans to reconsider the board's decision to approve the permit, Bill Block said no.
"If the county were to reconsider our decision, we could be liable for any and all costs incurred by the developer in reliance of our decision," he said.
Block added that he was "disappointed with the tone" of the complaints he has received, particularly those from afar.
What can you do? Write or call the commissioners to express your disappointment.
Morrison County District 1 Commissioner Tom Wenzel 20754 Highway #10 Little Falls, MN 56345 320-749-2288 email tomw@co.morrison.mn.us
Communities in this district: Cushing Township, Darling Township, Green Prairie Township, Little Falls City - 3, Motley City, Motley Township, Rail Prairie Township, Randall City, Rosing Township, Scandia Valley Township
Morrison County District 2 Commissioner Jeff Schilling 25117 185th Avenue Ft. Ripley, MN 56449 320-745-2617 Email: jeffs@co.morrison.mn.us
Communities in this district: Belle Prairie Township, Buh Township, Little Falls City - 2, Platte Township, Ripley Township
Morrison County District 3 Commissioner Gene Young 15234 Game Farm Road Little Falls, MN 56345 320-745-2537 Email geney@co.morrison.mn.us
Communities in this district: Bellevue Township, Little Falls City - 1, Little Falls Township, Royalton City
Morrison County District 4 Commissioner Don Meyer 19628 305th Avenue Pierz, MN 56364 320-468-6096 email donm@co.morrison.mn.us
Tim Toule, County Administrator
Government Center
toll free 1866-401-1111# 295 Communities in this district: Agram Township, Buckman City, Buckman Township, Genola City, Granite Township, Harding City, Hillman City, Hillman Township, Lakin Township, Lastrup City, Leigh Township, Morrill Township, Mount Morris Township, Pierz City, Pierz Township, Pulaski Township, Richardson Township
Morrison County District 5 Commissioner Bill Block 6651 170th Street Little Falls, MN 56345 320-749-2013 email billb@co.morrison.mn.us
Communities in this district: Bowlus City, Culdrum Township, Elmdale City, Elmdale Township, Flensburg City, Parker Township, Sobieski City, Swan River Township, Swanville Township, Two Rivers Township, Upsala City
Email an editorial to the local paper- the Morrison County Record mcr@mcrecord.com Email an editorial to the St. Cloud Times
If we had stiffer laws regulating commercial dog kennels, it would help prevent situations like this. Please write a letter to or email your representatives suggesting this. Want to know who represents you at the state capital and in Washington?
Go to: http://geo.commissions.leg.state.mn.us/districts/start.html Type in your address and your zip code….and then you will see who your Minnesota State Representative and your Minnesota State Senator are. You will also see the name of your elected congressional officials in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate in Washington. It’s that easy!
Each elected official has a box that contains a link to their e-mail, as well as a link to their website which shows their mailing address.
How to stop a puppy mill article-- info about license types
http://www.canismajor.com/dog/stopmill.html
www.stoppuppymills.org
www.prisonersofgreed.org
From TCHS Executive Director: Regarding: neighbors rally against dog kennel article in the St. Cloud Times
Visibility:
Everyone
Posted: Sunday January 29, 2006, 6:10 pm Tags: [add/edit tags]
Sunday January 29, 2006, 6:24 pm
These people tend to know where to live and how to stay under the radar. After having been part of a puppy mill raid that had 38 poodles, some of which had no lower jaws because of the breeding, it is horrendous and the people need to be put in jail. PERIOD.
Monday May 19, 2008, 4:02 pm
I am a sister to someone whom had worked for both Gary and Wanda about 3 Years ago. She would bring home dogs that they percieved as worthless and unsaleable. On one occasion she brought home a puppy that was being starved to death because of it deformality. My mom took the dog into her home and has cared for him ever since. She and everyone who worked there was told not to feed the animals that were in poor condition. She also told me that at times she would hear puppies screaming, because Gary and his son would perform there own surgeries on the animals. She said she believed the animals never recieved pain meds during or after surgery.She said they lived in poor conditions and hardly ever had a chance to get out. It's heart breaking that the kennel is still operating and that Morrison county would allow Gary to quit doing business with is now ex wife and open his own torture puppy mill.
Amazing or scary
how will activists
continue undercover work
if this is the future?
http://freewayvideos.com/
view/1500/sixth-sense-tec
hnology-ted--1.html
http://www.onetruemedia.c
om/otm_site/view_shared?p
=a25215691df5011ee3229&am
p;source=category&cat
egory_id=allPlease do not
buy puppies or kittens
from Pet SHops, it is
unethical greedy breeders
and puppy mill operators
who supply them.Go to
your lo...
Two Choices What would
you do?....you make the
choice. Don't look
for a punch line, there
isn't one. Read it
anyway. My question is:
Would you have made the
same choice? At a
fundraising dinner for a
school that serves
learning-disabled
childr...
This is another story of
an animal needing
help. Please
contact the person listed
at the bottom. This
is from a email group I
belong to and I have no
involvement in
this. I sure hope
someone can help this
boy! This dog is
i...
...
By John Pilger
In Nineteen Eighty-Four,
George Orwell described a
superstate called
Oceania, whose language
of war inverted lies that
"passed into history and
became truth. 'Who
controls the past', ran
the Party slogan,
'controls the future: who
cont...
Message: GWSSF by angela h.
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—
Happy New Year for 2010
we are just know as GWSSF
now for everyone with any
Health problem or other
problems which become one
around the world for all
domination are welcome
from children upwards and
the families for
help and support an... more
Message: Happy New Year Dear Friends...Best Wishes in 2010 by Rosemary H.
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—
My heartfelt gratitude
and appreciation for your
friendship this past
year... because of your
encouragement, courage
& inspiration i too
have continued
on, standing in
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being a voice for the
voiceless... wanting
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