Breeder: Mittleider, Rick, Dennis, and Virginia
Business name: Mittleider Ohae Kennels
Address: 10654 301st Ave.
City, State Zip: Herreid, SD 57632
Year: 2005
USDA License: 46-A-0226
Date of CAPS Investigation: 2005-07-23
Time of CAPS Investigation: 15:16
Breeds: St. Bernards, Bernese Mountain Dogs, English Springer Spaniels, Golden Retrievers, Standard Poodles, Goldendoodles, Akitas
On the property at the time of investigation: about 50 dogs and 30 puppies
This kennel consisted of two rows of outdoor pens and a whelping building. The outdoor pens (about 15) had dirt floors and chain link walls with metal three-foot-high metal sheets placed between them. There were one to two dogs – St. Bernards, English Springer Spaniels, Golden Retrievers, Akitas, and Bernese Mountain Dogs – per pen.
Each pen contained a plastic dog house large enough for the dog/dogs inside, and a plastic water bucket and food dish. The water buckets were filled with dingy, brown water (3.10-Watering), and the food dishes were not placed so as to minimize contamination by excreta or pests (3.9(b)-Feeding).
There were several days’ accumulation of feces in each pen (3.11(a)-Cleaning of primary enclosures). The tops of many of the pens had their chain link wiring separated from the steal beams run above them (3.1(a)-Structure; construction).
One pen contained a single English Springer Spaniel that was limping with its front right paw up in the air. Mittleider told me the dog had a previous injury to its leg, though the dog would make no attempt to put any weight on its leg at all (2.40-Vet Care.) All of the dogs in the outdoor enclosures had large patches of fur and skin missing from the tops of their ears, revealing open bloody sores covered in flies (2.40-Vet Care).
I asked Mittleider what he did to treat the injuries, and he responded that he put insecticide on the open wounds (2.40-Vet care). Flies swarmed around all of the outside pens on this property (3.11(d)-Pest control).
Whelping building
As Mittleider and I entered the whelping building, it was totally dark inside. Mittleider had to turn on the lights for us to see as he walked me through it (3.2(c)-Lighting).
The whelping building contained two rows of pens. One row consisted of five pens, each about four feet wide and long. These pens had plastic walls and floors and thick-gauge galvanized wire doors. Food and water dishes, some of which were rusty (3.1(c)(1)(i)-Surfaces),were placed in the pens, and a thin layer of wood chips was on each floor.
Three pens each housed a nursing St. Bernard and three puppies. Another pen housed a nursing Standard Poodle and four puppies. The mothers were each about four feet long from the tips of their noses to the bases of their tails (3.6(c)(1)(i); (3.6(c)(1)(ii)-Primary enclosures). The fifth pen housed four English Springer Spaniels, each about 2.5 feet long from the tips of their noses to the bases of their tails (3.6(c)(1)(i)-Primary enclosures).
About 15 other pens of the same size were in the kennel, each housing several puppies of various breeds and ages. One housed four English Springer Spaniels, each about two feet long from the tips of their noses to the bases of their tails (3.6(c)(1)(i)-Primary enclosures). Two other pens each housed four Poodles about two feet long from the tips of the noses to the bases of their tails (3.6(c)(1)(i)-Primary enclosures).
These pens had plastic water dishes on the floors and metal self feeders attached to the walls. All of the pens had dirty build-up on the walls (3.1(c)(3)-Surfaces).
Mittleider Tape Log
1’00” Springer Spaniel with injured leg
3’40” chain link broken off of top of wall
3’50” bloody sores are evident on Akitas’ ears; Mittleider discusses how he puts insecticide on the wounds
6’00” St. Bernard and puppies in cage too small for them
7’12” St. Bernard and puppies in cage too small for them
7’37” Springer Spaniel and puppies in cage too small for them
7’57” Poodle puppies in cages too small for them
