To the Editor:
This is in response to the article you wrote on B&C Kennels on April 29, regarding my application to amend my special use permit. The article spent approximately three-quarters of its space on opposition and untrue accusations.
I have been a legally owned and operated kennel since 2010 with a wonderful reputation and thousands of very happy families who post daily on my Facebook page. Proof was provided of our clean inspections with no recommendation for improvement from both the Illinois Department of Agriculture and DeKalb County Health and Animal Control. Since 2010 we have operated under a special use permit granted by the DeKalb County Board.
Never was it mentioned that of the opponents in attendance, only one resided in DeKalb County. Most of the opposition were animal rights activists who travel from county to county trying to taint breeders’ reputations. The quotes you have printed clearly state “in their opinion.”
When did someone’s opinion with absolutely no proof or documentation become a fair way to judge?
Everyone wants to throw around the term “puppy mill.” It has a very derogatory meaning because of the activists constantly using it to defame.
In early May, the Supreme Court of Missouri ruled that the term “puppy mill” is an opinion, not a statement of fact.
We had many people speak in favor of us, but you chose to only print a few of those comments. Mindy Patterson, president of The Cavalry Group, traveled from Missouri to speak. The Cavalry Group is in favor of our constitutional rights to defend those who are in an animal-based enterprise.
Living in a rural area with so many families dependent on animal enterprise, it surprises me how many people are willing to interfere with a successful animal enterprise. These folks know nothing about me or how I run my business. They are relying on others’ biased and untrue “opinions.”
Our tremendous growth in the past seven years should be evidence that we must be doing something right. We spend seven days a week, 365 days a year caring for our pups and dogs with the care and respect they deserve.
At the end of the day, this application is to determine whether or not I meet DeKalb County’s requirements to operate a legal kennel. This should be a land-use decision, and it should be voted on according to the standards set.
Christie Hardt
Clare