WQOW TV: Eau Claire, WI NEWS18 News, Weather, and Sports-Clark County Holding Another Dog Auction this Week
Clark County Holding Another Dog Auction this Week
Posted: March 8, 2009 05:06 PM
Clark County (WQOW) - Clark County is just 3 days away from having another dog auction.
The county is known as the Puppy Mill Capitol of the state. Not only does it have the largest number of puppy mills in the state, but it's also home to the largest breeder in the state.
Rep. Jeff Smith is working on a bill to make Wisconsin the next state to regulate dog breeding, putting an end to puppy mills or large breeding facilities.
On Wednesday, about 130 dogs will be up for auction at the Thorp Dog Auction. It's held twice a year. The dogs being sold are either puppies, usually sold to breeders and brokers, or dogs no longer of use to the breeders.
Through information obtained for a story News 18 did during the last Thorp Dog Auction, we found older dogs sold because they had been bred out, or had diseases and could no longer be bred. Some dogs were in such poor condition, they could not be sold at the auction. They were pulled by USDA inspectors.
"The dogs we have discovered happen to be the dogs that have been discarded. They wore them out for one reason or another, they reached an age limit, or they have some sort of health problems," says Rep. Smith.
Through an open records request, News 18 found in 2008 2,198 kennel licenses were issued in Clark County. Thats one new dog for every 15 residents per year. The majority of those licenses went to 18 addresses. A number of those names showed up on this week's auction list. Among them is Tammy Kautzer. She applied for 95 dog licenses last year. To clairify, licenses are usually issed for dogs that stay on the property or older dogs that live in these conditions. On Wednesday, Kautzer will have 31 dogs up for auction.
The Horst Farm owns 154 adult dogs. They also host the Thorp Auction. They are selling 20 on Wednesday, mostly older dogs.
According to records obtained from the USDA, Alvin Martin is the largest single dog breeder in the state right now. He has 305 adult dogs registered.
This all has Rep. Smith wanting to put an end to selling dogs at auctions and mass breeding.
Smith's bill calls for a maximum of 25 dogs bred per facility or breeder a year. He says that's the number that works for others states that regulate dog breeding.
Here's what you need to know: when buying a dog from anyone ask for papers, especially pet stores. Most dogs sold from farms go to pet stores.
On Wednesday, News 18's Jamie Paige and Rep. Smith will be at the dog auction. We'll hear from a woman who rescued a dog from a puppy mill at 3-years old. 3 years after his rescue, the dog still has not recovered.