March 28, 2024

County residents want to be rid of ‘puppy mills’

SULLY — Driving down Highway F62E, past Cline’s Hilltop Kennel, newcomers would be hard-pressed to notice any place along the road at the center of so much discussion and controversy in recent years.

However, not only is Cline’s Hilltop Kennels a facility that has had several documented U.S. Department of Agriculture violations over the past few years, but it’s also mentioned on some national websites.

As a bill makes its way through the state legislature with an intent to give more local control over animal breeding, several area residents say they’d like to see the kennel shut down. Unfortunately, not only has the USDA already documented some violations without closing down the facility, it seems the agency, Iowa state laws and agency infrastructure are not set up to do much more regulation of dog breeding.

Mary LaHay is the president of Iowa Voters for Companion Animals and one of Central Iowa’s most visible proponents of state-level inspection authority. She said the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship could gain authority ahead of the USDA as a state overseer of animal breeding.

“The USDA is overseeing this, and food safety is their priority, and rightly so,” LaHay said. “Animal regulations are at the bottom of the barrel.”

LaHay said the problem is so bad in Iowa, government officials in other states have written letters to Iowa legislators, urging them to take action on the problem.

Sen. Matt McCoy introduced SF 347 on March 2, bringing in some sweeping state-oversight reforms, but it has been stuck in a subcommittee since March 15. She said the USDA has the authority to network with local rescues and shelters to take animals away if there are confiscations. However, she said, that rarely seems to happen, and most violations do not seem to directly result in a breeder being shut down.

“Local law enforcement doesn’t usually have the resources to enforce every single one of the animal-cruelty statutes,” she added. “Once I tell Iowans how bad the situation is here, they aren’t willing to put up with it.”

Lisa Kuehl, a Madrid resident with several friends and associates in Jasper County, said that for an animal as complex as a dog, even meeting the minimum USDA requirements doesn’t give animals the psychological and emotional aspects of development. She said activists must make real progress in getting more enforcement of physical-conditions requirements in order to address the more nuanced health and well-being issues.

“Because it doesn’t have a direct impact on consumer well-being, it just doesn’t matter as much,” Kuehl said. “If everyone ate the puppies, it would be different.”

Conni Beck said she went with a friend in 2009 to buy a dog from Cline’s.

“After I went there, I knew something had to be done,” Beck said. “But until I met some of these ladies, I didn’t know what to do. Now, I’m learning more about what action we can take.”

Paula Arkema is a strong supporter of the Jasper County Animal Rescue League’s efforts. Like Kuehl, she also said taking in an animal that appears to have been abused early in life has been an awakening.

“We have a family member now that doesn’t have a voice of her own,” Arkema said.

Nancy Henderson said the majority of the public is unaware of puppy-mill issues.

“I’ve loved animals all of my life,” Henderson said. “Animals give you so much love and loyalty, and they deserve some in return. I think if more people knew what goes on at some kennels, they would all rally around it.”

Darcy Shaw said she got involved after seeing a firsthand result from a breeder.

“I wish we didn’t have to think about this,” Shaw said. “If breeders really cared about dogs more than profit, this wouldn’t be a problem. The standards are really too minimal, and some breeders can’t even maintain those.”

David and Joane Cline are listed on several USDA inspection reports. After receiving an “A” rating for an August 2010 inspection, the kennel was given a USDA “official warning” after a similar inspection in March 2011. The Clines did not return phone calls for this story.

USDA inspectors made six more trips out to the Sully facility between April 2011 and December 2012. The Clines were cited for more minor violations, such as about 30 dogs needing their nails trimmed, but did have one completely clean inspection in April of 2012.

The Newton Daily News published a 2012 story about one investigation in which John Halferty, chief Jasper County Sheriff’s Office deputy at the time, and then-Sheriff Mike Balmer and rescue league and state agriculture personnel visited the Clines. No criminal wrongdoing was discovered during the investigation.

Fines are one of the primary forms of USDA penalties. The Clines’ February 2013 violation of a cleaning, sanitization, housekeeping, and pest control policy lists a fine of $2,786.

The kennel was included in a May 2013 “Horrible Hundred” list, published by the Humane Society of the United States, mentioning an official warning.

A repeat violation was issued in July 2013 for inadequate dental care, but that was followed by a clean inspection four months later. Sanitation and housing citations were listed on a Dec. 4, 2014 inspection.

LaHay acknowledges the cost of going after local breeders is high for government, both in dollars and in its public image, as no one seems to want to take on the gritty business of removing dogs.

“You don’t have to do it like this,” LaHay said, pointing to a photo of a dog with some type of dental issue. “Everyone pays for the cost of poor conditions — except the breeders.”

Kuehl said the issue is emotional for her, as she has two puppy-mill rescues of her own.

“It is my deepest hope that the Clines will voluntarily release their remaining dogs to reputable rescue organizations,” Kuehl said. “We’ve already let many of these dogs down. I’m not going to let this rest.”

Contact Jason W. Brooks at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or jbrooks@newtondailynews.com