Jan 29, 2006 7:20 pm US/Central
Opponents Of Dog Kennel Ask For Investigation
Belle Prairie Township, Minn. (AP) ―
Animal rights advocates are asking the FBI to investigate the Morrison County Board's vote to approve a dog kennel.
A "Stop the Puppy Mill in Morrison County" petition is circulating on the Internet against a proposed breeding kennel with 600 adult dogs.
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. The board has voted 4-1 to approve a conditional-use permit for the kennel. It didn't require an environmental review, despite a petition from a group of residents requesting one.
Debbie and Roger Nelson, along with other opponents of the kennel, have asked the FBI to investigate the board, alleging it misrepresented itself in granting the permit.
"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, 52, hopes to establish a kennel for breeding small dogs in Belle Prairie Township, northeast of Little Falls. Harvey Block, the property owner, applied for the permit.
The opponents, who have hired a Minneapolis attorney, complained about McDuffee's plans to debark some of the dogs (a surgical procedure that quiets barking) and the size of the proposed kennel. They were also unhappy that the board did not require a study of the kennel's environmental impact on bordering wetlands.
Bill Block, a board member who voted for the kennel, said the board does not plan to reconsider its decision.
"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.
(© 2006 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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