Breeder: Dale and Janet Lovland
Kennel name: Lovland Kennel
Address: 29372 State Hwy AX
City, State, Zip: Macon, MO 63552
USDA License: 43-A-6167
Date and time of CAPS Investigation: 3/15/22, 1515
Weather at time of investigation: 69°F and sunny
Approximate number of dogs and puppies observed at time of investigation: four dogs, though I could not see into all enclosures of the kennel
Breeds: Huskies
The kennel building visible to me consisted of a building with about three chain link indoor/outdoor runs on the north side. Chain link walls on the south side of the building appeared to be for small runs, but were only partially visible to me since a large, faded fireworks sign was set against them and blocked my view (3.1 Housing facilities, general (b) Condition and site).
I saw one to two Huskies per outdoor run. Each outdoor run was about 12 feet long and four feet wide. Part of a flooring was visible to me and appeared to be made of rocks. Wire walls between runs had pieces of thin wooden boards set against them, so that they covered the bottom two to four feet of the walls. Marks on the edges of the boards revealed they were previously glued into place elsewhere, and I could see dark marks that were either the glue residue or exposed wood where the glue had been peeled back and paint on the boards removed with it (3.1 – Housing facilities, general (c) Surfaces (1). A fenced area about four feet wide was on the north side of the pens, with a gate at one end. It appeared to act as an entry and exit to the outside pens with a gate in case dogs escape, or it might be used as a small exercise yard.
In the westernmost Husky pen, I saw a metal self-feeder with rust and a light brown dirty buildup covering the bottom third of the entire feeder (3.1 – Housing facilities, general (c) Surfaces (3) Cleaning). In that pen, a Husky try to reach their paw through the fence to something on the ground outside and paced back and forth while stopping to occasionally look outside the pen. Huskies paced back and forth in two other pens, moving from one end to another repeatedly for several seconds. They would then pause by laying down or going inside the barn before resuming the pacing.
Two dog houses were at the northwest end of the kennel, sitting in the open near a tree and within a few feet of the outdoor runs. One of the dog houses was made of untreated, molding wood. Three dog dishes were on the ground by the tree as well. Though crushed rock partially covered the area, the ground within about five feet of the tree was primarily dirt, indicating dogs have been, or are at times tied to the tree (3.1 Housing facilities, general (b) Condition and site).
A structure about 10 feet wide and long, with a roof covering it, was north of the kennel building. It had large pieces of thin wooden board, resembling the kind fixed to the chain link walls of dog runs, placed against it so that I couldn’t see inside the enclosure. Only the top few feet of the structure, which was about eight feet tall, was visible to me. I could see galvanized wire fencing making a wall around it and PVC pipes framing the top, but no animals were visible inside.
East of the dog kennel was a fenced area, about 20 feet long and 15 feet wide, on the grass. The wire fence, however, was only about three feet tall and could easily be jumped by a Husky. Therefore, it did not appear to be an exercise area for the Huskies. Two small dog houses were inside the area, but no dogs or feces piles were visible inside. Also, the grass was not worn down in any area, indicating dogs are not regularly exercised in the area. (3.8 Exercise for dogs).
Evidence contradicting pet store claims
The “Real Petland Breeders” YouTube video shows dogs in spacious kennel runs and playing in vast, grassy yards. Lovland’s kennel is nothing as large as what is depicted in the video nor is there is a large exercise yard evident on the property for the Huskies.
