Council denies exception for breeding kennnel

"I'm disappointed how the council came to their decision," said Dan Miller after the meeting, who with wife Lizann is operating the kennel on their property at 71363 Road 385, within the two-mile radius of city zoning laws. "Everything was based on the worse-case scenario and the council didn't even come out and look at it."

Councilman Colleen Grant was the only one, to his knowledge, who inspected the premises, he said, with Mayor Berry stating at the meeting that he, too had visited but did not hear any barking as neighbors alleged.

Still, it was Councilman Grant who made the motion to deny the exception, as it would send the wrong message about McCook.

"We don't want to support puppy mills. It's a slap in the face of our animal shelter," she said emphatically.

Councilman Lonnie Anderson agreed and seconded the motion, saying that he had received numerous phone calls against the kennel. Grant and Anderson, along with Mayor Berry, voted against the special exception, citing that it would adversely affect the public interest. Councilman Aaron Kircher voted against the denial, and said he would like to visit the kennel at some point.

"I'm not sure if it's a puppy mill as I haven't been there myself," he conceded. He also asked if Lizanne Miller would be willing to speak to the council, which Dan Milller said could be arranged.

Several spoke in opposition to the kennel, while one McCook resident urged the council to listen to facts and not to let emotion cloud the issue.

J.D. Mockry told the council that there was no legal reason to deny the special exception, as all state and federal licenses have been obtained and zoning regulations have been met. The council should listen to the facts and not be swayed by emotion, he said.

"This is not a puppy mill," he asserted, as state laws are in effect to keep the bad breeders out of business. He said he is familiar with dog kennels and that "most kennel dogs get more attention than those at the humane society." He mentioned the small cages cats are kept in at local shelters and said, "Those are the ones in jail." He also mentioned that this is a new business opportunity for the city.

Pam Gaston, owner of a McCook business that boards and grooms dogs, agreed that the council should listen to the facts and the facts in this issue were disturbing. She asked how the Millers were allowed to operate before the special exception was granted.

"The process came about in the wrong direction and these issues should have been addressed before," she contended. She also speculated who would regulate the number of dogs on the facility.

"Will it always be 30? Or 40, or 60?" she asked. She reiterated that the council should base its decision on facts and not emotion, but from a factual standpoint the history of the kennel spoke volumes.

"If they can't follow the rules up to now, will they follow the rules later?" she questioned.

A neighbor of the Millers, Renae Williams, reminded the council that a petition was signed by several in the neighborhood who opposed the kennel.

For her, the noise level of the barking dogs was so bad that she couldn't open her windows, she told the council.

Anne Dowd, president of the McCook Humane Society, said the kennel would harm the image of McCook, as there are already other puppy mills in the area. Addressing Mockry's claim, she added that the dogs at the McCook Humane Society are walked and socialized by special volunteers and that the cats do not need large cages as they are very calm and are frequently allowed out to play.

Another neighbor, Virginia Brown, stated that she had no animosity against the Millers but was concerned with water drainage issues and the disposal of dead carcasses. The kennel would bring a hardship to the area and McCook would not profit as most of the puppies would be sold out of the area. She requested that the council do "what's best for everyone in the long run."

Karron Curtis, a former McCook resident who operates pet rescues, gave the council packets on puppy mill information and said the kennel would give McCook "a black eye" and was not the kind of business the city needed.

In denying the request, the council cited the facility would adversely affect the public interest as it was not in general comparability with adjacent properties and other property in the district and because of noise problems.

City Manger Kurt Fritsch said after the meeting that the business would now have to be closed down.

Miller said he would see what his options are at this point and did not know what he would do with 30 breeding dogs and about 15 puppies.