Breeder: Weaver, Ammon
Address: 375 Middle Creek Rd
City, State Zip: Lititz, PA 17543
Year: 2007
USDA License: 23-A-0167
Date of CAPS Investigation: 2007-06-23
Time of CAPS Investigation: 14:19
Note: PA kennel class: K4
Breeds: Jack Russell Terriers, Dachshunds, Cairn Terriers, Labradors, Shih Tzus
There were about 25 dogs and 10 puppies in the kennel at the time of investigation.
Outdoor cages
The kennel’s structure was identical as noted in CAPS investigation report for 2/23/05. Ammon Weaver was putting wood stain on the outdoor cages when I met him, and it was obvious that the wooden frames of the cages were wet with stain. The dogs’ paws were also covered with the stain from jumping against the wood and pressing their paws against the door frames. The toenails of all the dogs extended underneath their wire floorings as they walked (USDA: 2.40-Vet care; PA Dog Law: 21.30- Condition).
Each cage had either two dogs or a single nursing dog and a litter of puppies. The cage furthest from the entrance contained two Labs and a Jack Russell. The outdoor cages were each about four feet tall and wide and about five feet long, while the indoor enclosures, accessible via dog doors, were only about 3.5 feet tall and long, and four feet wide. I saw one of the Labs standing in its indoor enclosure when Ammon opened up the wooden door accessing it; the Lab had less than six inches of space from the top of its head to the top of the enclosure (USDA: 3.6(c)(1)(i)- Space; PA Dog Law: 21.23(d)- Space).
It did not seem as though both Labs, each about four feet long from the tips of their noses to the bases of their tails, could stand or lie in the indoor cage with the Jack Russell at once. It was unlikely that the dogs were able to move about freely or avoid constant contact with each other (USDA: 3.6(c)(1)(iii)-Space; PA Dog Law: 21.23(a) and (b)-Space). As I observed the outdoor cage containing the Labs and Jack Russell, I said to Ammon, “There’s a bunch in there.” He replied, “Yeah, my inspector don’t care about that.”
Indoor cages
The indoor cages had plastic self feeders attached to their doors and automatic water spigots ran into them from the ceiling. Ammon explained to me that he puts enough food per feeder to last the dogs three to four days (USDA: 3.9(a)- Feeding; PA Dog Law: 21.28(a)-Food).
The kennel contained two rooms, both which contained the indoor enclosures. The first room, which the single kennel doorway accessed, also held kennel supplies and food. Supplies such as canned food, tools, and medicine were stored on top of the indoor wooden boxes throughout the room.
Dachshund cages
The second room had two elevated cages on the wall opposite the indoor enclosures. Each cage was about six feet wide and two feet long and tall, with wooden frames, wire walls, and treated wire floorings. There were three Dachshunds per cage, each with a plastic self-feeder and metal water dish. Plastic sheeting ran along the back wall underneath the cages and curved forwards to catch debris. The wall and flooring sides of the sheeting were coated in fecal stains (USDA: 3.1(c)(2)-Surfaces; PA Dog Law: 21.29(c)- Sanitation).
The stack of three wire cages with untreated wire floorings noted in CAPS USDA report 2/23/05 were all empty. I asked Ammon if the cages were useful for weaning, and he said his inspector made him stop using them because of their untreated floorings.
