Problems for Kennel in Marriott-Slaterville City April 24, 2004 Weber kennel dogs removed Officials find at least 90 dogs after complaint BY JANAE FRANCIS Standard-Examiner Staff jfrancis@standard.net MARRIOTT-SLATERVILLE Acting on a complaint, city and county officials have confiscated at least 90 dogs from the Canine Connection kennel and revoked the business's conditional use permit. The dogs were hauled away in a horse trailer Friday morning after police and city officials searched the business and found numerous violations of city ordinances. City attorney Bill Morris said the ken-nel was served with a search warrant Friday after a complainant told the city the kennel was in "bad shape" and had too many dogs to handle. "She was way over her limit," Morris said of the kennel's owner, Norma Blaser, saying at least 90 dogs were found at the kennel Friday morning. But Blaser believes the search and seizure violated her rights. "They even took my personal records," she said in an interview Friday evening. "They took my bills and all that stuff. They just took everything." She said the day's events were not only personally devastating but would also cause trauma to her dogs. Blaser said she and her staff, which includes a veterinarian, have worked nearly around the clock keeping the dogs, especially the puppies, in a clean environment. She said at the business, which began as a rescue operation, workers constantly change papers beneath the dogs and require a standard of cleanliness. A notice at the entrance to the business alerts visitors to the need to wear special sanitary slippers and shirts as well as washing hands with bleach for the safety of the puppies. But Blaser said animal control of- ficers just grabbed the dogs with unwashed hands and sent them to an environment that won't be as clean. Owner worried "Over the weekend, we're going to have dead dogs," she said. "Puppies constantly need to be supervised and watched and have their food changed." She said the Weber County Animal Shelter doesn't have the staff to provide that kind of care and has refused her request to have the dogs taken care of by a volunteer veterinarian at Burch Creek Animal Hospital in Ogden while the investigation. Morris said the action began when a complainant said she had counted 36 dogs at the kennel, giving the city probable cause for the search because the conditional use permit allowed for a maximum of 30 dogs. Criminal charges also may be filed pending an investigation of the kennel, Morris said. Officials seized surgical and medical equipment as well as all the records associated with the dogs, many of which were registered, he said. Most of the small house dogs were found in small pens. Morris said the dogs were kept in the pens as officials hauled them away. Animal shelter officials and workers declined to comment. Mary Haymes of Ogden came forward as the woman who filed the complaint. Haymes said she recently moved to Ogden from San Diego County, Calif., where she was licensed as a judge for dog shows sponsored by the American Kennel Club. She said she went to Canine Connection this week looking for a dog for a brother-in-law who is ill and needs a companion. Haymes said the 8-week-old female basset hound she looked at clung to her and she recognized the puppy was in distress. Signs of confinement She said the puppy's toenails were curling up, which means the puppy had not been allowed to move on any hard surfaces. She also said she was told by a worker there that she would not be allowed to put the dog down on the floor to see how it moved. Haymes also was concerned about the way Blaser registered animals, using an organization not recognized by the American Kennel Club. "People go in there thinking they are getting a registered dog and what they are getting is worthless," she said. "They can't show it in any AKC event. To me, that is outrageous." Same conditions But Haymes said her main concern was the filthy condition of the child's playpen where the dog was kept. Haymes said a friend visited the business several hours after she left and found the dog still in the same filth. "My concern was for the welfare of the animals," she said. "No animal deserves to be in its own feces. I don't care who he is." Past complaints She said the city attorney told her that several people had complained before but no one had been willing to sign a written complaint. Blaser said she would have done anything to work with officials had they discussed problems with her. Haymes said she filed the complaint Thursday and was impressed at the swiftness with which officials moved to take action. She urges others who have visited Canine Connection to come forward with further information they may have to help with the investigation in the case. "I think it's important that when somebody sees something that's wrong that they stand up and make it right."