Last week’s seizure of 131 dogs at a Riverside, Iowa, breeding operation has prompted one state lawmaker to call for changes in the way the state oversees puppy mills, dog breeders and brokers.
Rep. Dave Jacoby, D-Coralville, wrote to Gov. Kim Reynolds this week asking for her cooperation in holding unscrupulous breeders accountable.
“We need to stop unscrupulous puppy mill owners by strengthening the laws that govern commercial breeders, increase inspections, and penalize those who violate the law,” Jacoby wrote to the governor.
Jacoby’s letter to the governor comes one week after the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship inspected Sunset Valley Farm, a commercial dog-breeding operation in the town of Riverside.
An IDALS inspector reported finding 131 dogs on the property, many of which were found to be in distress. The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office removed the dogs from the property, although one of the dogs subsequently died, reportedly from heatstroke. The dogs are now in the custody of the Iowa City Animal Care and Adoption Center.
He said he suspects the problem in Iowa appears to be one of weak regulation and a lack of enforcement through timely inspections.
“Why do we wait until the heat index is 124 degrees before we check on the dogs inside a whelping barn?” he asked. “From my point of view, this situation in Riverside could have been cut off months or years before.”
The owner of Sunset Valley Farm is Loren Yoder of Riverside. After being cited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for violations in the first, second and third quarters of 2022, Yoder was issued an official warning from the USDA for violations found during a September 2022 visit. Yoder then canceled his USDA license in an apparent effort to avoid additional inspections by the USDA.
However, the business continued to operate at the same property on 540th Street in Riverside, and remained subject to state oversight and continued to be inspected by IDALS.
The state report for IDALS’ Aug. 24 inspection of the property cites several deficiencies:
Whelping barn — In the business’ whelping barn, where female dogs are confined with puppies for the first few weeks after they’re born, the inspector noted the temperature was in the 90s and there were not enough fans “to remove sweltering heat” from the area. Roughly 16 mothers were in heat distress, the inspector reported.
Staffing levels — The number of personnel employed by the kennel was “insufficient” for the number of dogs on hand, the inspector reported. “By their own admission Loren, Lloyd, and Uncle David Lee have been providing all 131 animals with less than minimal supervision or care,” the inspector wrote in her report.