Breeder: Raber, Ervin
Business name: Golden View Kennels
City, State Zip: Baltic, OH 43804
Year: 2005
USDA License: 31-A-0124
Date of CAPS Investigation: 2005-04-08
Approximately 70 dogs and four puppies. Breeds: Jack Russell Terriers, Bichon Frises, Miniature Schnauzers, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, West Highland Terriers, Chihuahuas, Dachshunds, Lhasa Apsos, Papillons, Pekingese, Cocker Spaniels
Golden View Kennels had one primary kennel and a smaller, secondary kennel. The smaller kennel was an indoor structure with two pens, each containing two adult Jack Russell Terriers. The pens were on concrete flooring with a layer of straw thrown over them, had untreated thin-gauge wire for walls (3.6(a)(2)(xii)-Primary enclosures), water dishes placed on the ground and metal self-feeders on their walls.
The main kennel was a trailer converted into a kennel. The western side of the kennel had two rows of indoor/outdoor cages on it that were connected by doggie-doors – one row placed above another. Each row contained 10 cages, and each cage contained two to four dogs of various breeds. The indoor cages had water lines run into each one, and metal self-feeders were attached to the walls. The cages themselves were made of treated plastic wire. All of the cages were about two feet tall, wide, and long.
With many of the dogs being 12 to 14 inches in length from the tips of their noses to the bases of their tails, cages containing three to four dogs were overcrowded (3.6(c)(1)(i)-Space). One cage contained an adult Pekingese and an approximately four-week-old puppy whose paws fell through the holes of the wire floor (3.6(a)(2)(x)-Primary enclosures).
Plastic sheets were underneath the cages to catch debris, and the sheets were covered in fecal stains (3.1(c)(1)-Surfaces). The outside cages were over 10 feet above the ground. They had several months of fecal accumulation below them on the dirt ground (3.11(a)-Cleaning of primary enclosures). Flies were swarming around the feces that was piled up to two feet tall (3.11(d)-Pest Control). Clumps of feces-stained fur were hanging from the floorings of the outdoor pens (3.1(c)(3)-Surfaces).
A large plastic sheet was attached to the edge of the outdoor cages’ lower row. It touched the ground. The sheet was attached to the edge furthest from the kennel building. This allowed the sheet to trap debris from the cages, which in turn accumulated on the ground (3.11(a)-Cleaning of primary enclosures). The sheet itself was covered in fecal stains and clumps of feces and fur (3.1(c)(1)-Surfaces).
There were several other cages in the structure. The southeast corner of the building had two cages in it, one stacked on top of the other. Each cage was about 1.5 feet wide and tall and three feet long, and made of treated wire. Water pipes were run into the cages, and metal self-feeders were attached to the wire walls.
The top cage contained a Cocker Spaniel and Dachshund puppy. The bottom cage had a Lhasa Apso about Dachshund, which were 12 inches long from the tips of their noses to the bases of their tails (3.6(c)(1)(i)-Space). The cages had several days of feces accumulation on plastic sheets under the wire floorings (3.11(a)-Cleaning of primary enclosures). Kibble littered the kennel floor around the cages (3.1(c)(1)-Surfaces).
There were two whelping pens located just north of the doorway on the east side of the building. The pens were about five feet above the ground and had plastic whelping boxes and treated wire cages. There were outdoor cages accessible by doggie-doors from the whelping cages.
The north end of the building contained an office area with two wire cages, one above the other. They had plastic sheets below their floors to catch debris. Water pipes and metal self-feeders were in each cage. The top enclosure held three West Highland Terrier puppies; the bottom cage contained two adult Bichon Frises. The cages were each about 1.5 feet wide and three feet long, and the Bichons were each about 12 inches long from the tips of their noses to the bases of their tails (3.1(c)(1) Surfaces).
Near the house was an adult Boxer that was tethered by a chain (3.6(c)(4)-Prohibited means of primary enclosure). The dog had a dog house and food and water dishes.
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