Iowa Again Ranks As One Of The Worst States For Puppy Mills

Iowa has landed a spot as the second-worst state in the country for puppy mills, according to an annual report released by the Humane Society of the United States.

In Iowa, 17 puppy breeding facilities appeared on the list. Many were repeats from previous years. Only Missouri, with 26 listed puppy mills, ranks higher.

The Horrible Hundred is a list of known, particularly problematic, puppy breeding locations and figures and it’s meant to give people an idea of who to avoid. The Humane Society gets the information from available state kennel inspections, federal inspections conducted by the US Department of Agriculture, and any records of fines or warnings on the state, federal and/or county levels.

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A puppy mill is a commercial dog breeding business that prioritizes breeding over animal well-being. They typically practice quick breeding and keep the dogs and puppies in bad, neglectful conditions.

Last year, Rep. Cindy Axne introduced legislation to crack down on puppy mills across the country.

The Iowa list has nine repeat offenders, with the worst being Henry Sommers/Happy Puppys in Cincinnati, Iowa. This year makes the sixth time he’s appeared on the list. He’s been cited for killing dogs by injecting them in the stomach. In previous reports, inspectors noted injured dogs, unsanitary conditions, and failures to provide adequate veterinary care.

Others have made five appearances. Those include Steve Kruse at Stonehenge Kennel in West Point. He worked with Daniel Gingerich, who is facing criminal charges in Wayne County for animal neglect. Last year, Gingerich had his business—Maple Hill Puppies—shut down, his license suspended, and was forced to surrender more than 500 dogs.

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The other five-time offender is Helene Hamrick at Wolf Point Kennel in Ackworth. Her violations include contaminated food, keeping dogs in dangerous, rundown conditions, and failure to provide proper care.

Most of the violations include dirty conditions the dogs live in, overcrowding, contaminated food, missing or no medical records, and repeated issues with sick, injured, and/or dead dogs.

Others included on the list are:

• Larry Albrecht/Coldwater Kennel, Greene*
• Carolyn Anderson/Anderson’s Yorkies, Mason City*
• Brian Felton, Centerville, Iowa
• Menno Gingerich/Skyline Puppies, Albia, Iowa
• Bruce Hooyer/JKLM Farm aka Shaggy Hill Farm, Sioux Center*
• Jake Kruse/K&E Kennels Inc., Salem
• Lavern Nolt/Twin Birch, Charles City
• Ken and Rhonda Van Der Zwaag/Van Der Zwaag German Shepherds, Hull
• Dennis and Donna Van Wyk/Prairie Lane Kennel, New Sharon*
• Charles Vogl/SCW Frenchies, Atlantic*
• Anita Wikstrom/Unforgettable Schnauzers, Ames*
• Woody Wiley, Cantril
• Lloyd Yoder/Valleyview Premium Puppies, Riverside
• Loren Yoder, Riverside*

*asterisks note repeat offenders.

Nikoel Hytrek
6/5/22

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