Residents in WA Speak Up: No Puppy Mills in our Community

Breeder with over 200 dogs is denied a permit

By Kelli Ohrtman: Best Friends Animal Society

Marjorie Sundberg of Mount Vernon, Washington has been a dog breeder for many years. She specializes in toy breed dogs like Yorkies and Maltese (very popular breeds, especially in pet stores), and built a sound-proof building on her property to house her breeding dogs and their puppies. Sundberg, her veterinarian and her lawyer maintain that what she runs is a reputable dog breeding business—not a puppy mill.

Most animal welfare organizations would disagree. Keeping over 200 dogs in cages in a building, and breeding them continuously means you have a puppy mill. When Sundberg received word from local Animal Control that she had more dogs than could be considered a small, home-based business, and that she’d have to apply for a special use permit from Skagit County, she was not happy. But it turns out that people in the community were even less happy that such a large-scale dog breeding operation had been allowed to operate in the area. Click on the photo to watch news coverage, including video footage of Sundberg’s kennel and the county commission planning meeting. Courtesy of KIRO 7.

At a planning meeting held by the county, the public was allowed to comment on whether the county should grant Sundberg a permit or not. The message was loud and clear: “we do not want puppy mills in our community.” On March 21, Sundberg’s permit application was denied.

What You Can Do
1.) The Humane Society of Skagit Valley has been active in opposing this and all commercial dog breeding kennels in the area. To learn how you can join them in the effort, visit their website: http://www.skagithumane.com/puppymills07.htm

2.) For information and advice on how to ask for zoning changes in your community, Click here