Mar 16, 2006 8:55 pm US/Central
Group Asks Court To Annul Kennel Permit
Little Falls, Minn. (AP) ―
A Minnesota animal rights group has requested that the state Court of Appeals annul a permit allowing a 600-dog breeding operation in Morrison County.
Minnesota Federated Humane Societies claimed that a conditional-use permit that the county board of commissioners issued in January to proposed kennel operator Gary McDuffee violates state animal cruelty laws, according to court documents.
The group argues that the kennel's intended practice of debarking dogs by removing vocal cord tissue or using shock collars breaks the law because both are cruel and inhumane.
The MFHS suit is the third legal challenge to McDuffee's proposal to set up a kennel on 40 acres near Little Falls.
A group of neighbors has brought a suit in district court accusing the county of inappropriately issuing the conditional-use permit without examining the planned kennel's possible environmental impact. The group has also asked the Court of Appeals to annul the permit.
The board's approval of McDuffee's permit drew criticism from across the country because of its size and his plan to debark dogs kept outside.
MFHS also contends that the two buildings in which dogs would be kept doesn't have enough space to house and exercise the dogs.
(© 2006 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
