Lee County sheriff proposing new ordinance to help crack down on unlicensed dog breeding
FORT MADISON — After the confiscation of hundreds of animals at a property in Lee County last month, Sheriff Stacy Weber is working to craft a new ordinance to help crack down on unlicensed dog breeding.
Last Thursday, Weber held a meeting at the Lee County Sheriff's Office that included four licensed dog breeders, animal control officers from Keokuk and Fort Madison, Garry Seyb of the Lee County Board of Supervisors, and members of PAW (Protectors of Animal Welfare) to discuss the issue of unlicensed dog breeding in the area.
During Monday's Lee County Board of Supervisors meeting, Weber discussed that meeting and plans to present the board with a new ordinance proposal aimed at increasing penalties and regulations for those breeding and housing numerous dogs without a proper license from Iowa.
"I just see there is a gap in the law, and I think we can do better. And that's my job as sheriff," Weber told The Hawk Eye.
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In February, the Lee County Sheriff's Office and Animal Rescue League of Iowa rescued 42 dogs and 41 hamsters said to be living in unsanitary conditions at a home in Argyle.
According to Weber, the couple who own the home surrendered those animals, but numerous others remained on the property.
The couple initially was ordered to clean up the property and to begin thinning out the animals in its possession to assure they could be kept humanely.
In March, a search warrant was served during a followup visit by the Lee County Sheriff's Office and a licensed veterinarian.
As a result of that visit, the couple was charged with seven counts of animal neglect. They were not licensed breeders.
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What Iowa state law requires of breeders, and what possible penalties are
According to the Iowa Department of Agriculture, state law requires an individual to become a licensed commercial breeder with the department if they have four or more sexually intact dogs over 12 months of age and are actively breeding, selling, exchanging or leasing those dogs.
Unlicensed dog breeders face simple misdemeanor charges, which can mean fines between $200-$600 and up to a year in jail, Weber said.
Weber suspects that there could be as many as 20 unlicensed breeders in Lee County.
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"It's always for money," Weber said. "These people are commercial breeders. They're commercially selling these dogs, whether it be on Facebook or if they have their own websites or they just solicit places to sell them to.
"Our commercial breeders that do this professionally in our county, the big ones, we don't have any trouble with. Because they're monitored by the state and they welcome us to their facilities whenever we want to stop by."
Weber said the problem with unlicensed breeders can be amplified simply by a local law enforcement agency's lack of expertise in animal care.
"I'm not an expert at this stuff," he said. "We have to have a vet come along to verify if a dog is being treated properly. I'm not a vet. I don't know."
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'I want to protect the taxpayers': Steeper fines would go for animal care
Under Weber's proposal, unlicensed dog breeders can be fined $500 per immature dog and $1,000 per adult dog in their possession that exceed the state-regulated minimum.
Weber said increased fines being proposed with the new ordinance will be used to help offset the costs of any future confiscations from unlicensed breeders.
"The county is on the hook for their care," Weber said. "I don't want the cost to be absorbed by the taxpayers of this county due to the fact that someone wants to be a commercial breeder. ... I want to protect the taxpayers as well."
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His proposal also would provide unlicensed breeders with a 24-hour window allowing them the opportunity to surrender their dogs or get professionally licensed as a breeder with the Iowa Department of Agriculture. Weber said that could allow some folks who simply made mistakes the opportunity to get right with the law.
"They're not all bad people," Weber said. "Some of them just get in over their head and they don't realize that there's a law that they need to follow."
Weber said the new policy could be presented to the board this month.
Weber said if the new ordinance is successful, he would like to see state legislators possibly adopt it statewide.
"Our job is to protect the welfare of the animals," Weber said. "If (a new ordinance) can cause these (unlicensed breeders) to not do these things and fall under the compliance of the law by going through the Department of Agriculture, well then we did our job."
This article originally appeared on The Hawk Eye: Iowa sheriff working to stop unlicensed dog breeders in Lee County
