Sunday's York Daily Record/Sunday News carries a story written by Jon Rutter, a reporter at the Lancaster Sunday News, about the problems a York County family had when they bought a puppy from a kennel last year.
The Campbell family filed a complaint against the kennel, whose owners could not be reached for comment. There is no indication of why the Campbells' puppy was sick or whether the kennel had anything to do with it.
But their story is a reminder that if you're ready to buy a dog, there are resources that can help. One is the state agriculture department's online listing of kennel inspections. You can search by county, city, zip code, kennel name or kennel type, or any combination.
You'll get results showing you names and addresses of kennels, the type of license, when it was issued, whether the kennel is open or closed (and if closed, whether it was voluntary) and links to the actual inspection reports.
The reports will show you categories in which a kennel passed and failed, and include notes from the inspector. They can help you decide whether to even visit a kennel; or help you know what to look for if you do go.
If you're interested in more on the topic of dog welfare and kennels, Rose Hayes of the YDR/SN's staff moderates a blog on pets that includes entries on kennels here, here and here. (And there are more; you can find them by putting "kennels" in the search bar on the blog's home page.)
The Campbell family filed a complaint against the kennel, whose owners could not be reached for comment. There is no indication of why the Campbells' puppy was sick or whether the kennel had anything to do with it.
But their story is a reminder that if you're ready to buy a dog, there are resources that can help. One is the state agriculture department's online listing of kennel inspections. You can search by county, city, zip code, kennel name or kennel type, or any combination.
You'll get results showing you names and addresses of kennels, the type of license, when it was issued, whether the kennel is open or closed (and if closed, whether it was voluntary) and links to the actual inspection reports.
The reports will show you categories in which a kennel passed and failed, and include notes from the inspector. They can help you decide whether to even visit a kennel; or help you know what to look for if you do go.
If you're interested in more on the topic of dog welfare and kennels, Rose Hayes of the YDR/SN's staff moderates a blog on pets that includes entries on kennels here, here and here. (And there are more; you can find them by putting "kennels" in the search bar on the blog's home page.)
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