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issue > breeder > clearwater kennel, now AJ's Angels
Located in Cushing, Minnesota, Clearwater Kennel was the largest dog breeding kennel in Minnesota housing over 1,000 dogs and puppies. This kennel was owned and operated by Wanda Kretzman, formerly Wanda McDuffee. Prior to Clearwater Kennel, this breeder owned and operated Happy Tails, another large-scale dog breeding facility in Morrison County, with her ex-husband. Clearwater Kennel is now operating under a different owner (Angie McDuffee, daughter-in-law of Wanda Kretzman) with a new name: A.J.'s Angels and federal license: 41-A-0484. See animal counts below. A.J.'s Angels does not sell directly to consumers from its facility. It sells primarily to brokers, such as JAQ's Puppies in Iowa who, in turn, re-sells and ships the puppies to pet stores nationwide. The Switch On March 2, 2015, the USDA filed a complaint against Clearwater Kennel for violation of the Animal Welfare Act. Multiple violations for years were cited against this kennel; however, rather than revoke its federal license and close the kennel due to violation of law, the USDA entered into a settlement agreement with Wanda Kretzman, the owner. This agreement was signed by the judge on March 11, 2016. It should be noted: Prior, on March 9, 2016, Clearwater Kennels (owner Wanda Kretzman) cancelled its USDA license. Also on March 9, 2016, a USDA license was granted to A.J.'s Angels (owner Angie McDuffee) to operate the kennel on the same property. The owner of A.J.'s Angels, as noted above, is the daughter-in-law of Wanda Kretzman. Documentation by the USDA shows the federal government was aware of this transfer and, it appears, may have helped orchestrate this action by expediting the pre-license approval for A.J. Angels to operate.
Aerial view of this breeding facility. Dogs are kept in the long, low buildings. Photo below shows outside view of buildings; taken by USDA.
Animal counts The "inventory count" of adult dogs and puppies within A.J.'s Angels kennel is reported on USDA inspection reports. Puppy counts can vary widely based on when the facility sells and ships its puppies and time/date of the inspection.
This high volume of dogs was found in Clearwater Kennel prior to the kennel being transferred to Angie McDuffee; as noted below:
Prior to Clearwater Kennel, dog breeder Wanda Kretzman (formerly McDuffee) owned and operated Happy Tails with her husband — also a high volume of dogs.
VIDEO Video below was taken by the Companion Animal Protection Society (CAPS), showing an exterior portion of the kennel. The investigator observed 400 dogs; however, as noted above, this kennel was reported to have 1,172 dogs and puppies as of October 2021. A.J.'s Angels: https://www.caps-web.org/ajsangels/ Large-scale breeding facilities can cause stress, disease, and injuries to the adult dogs and puppies. Breeding dogs who are not provided with basic care and attention often have psychological problems that require years of rehabilitation — if the animal is rescued and not killed after "their breeding use."
State license The Minnesota Board of Animal Health granted a state license to AJ's Angels. The MN dog and cat breeder law, which requires licensing and inspections of certain commercial dog and cat breeders, specifically included language to address the mental health of every animal in a facility; as well as to provide proper staffing. See below.
While the above language (and other language in the law) was specifically included to address high-volume kennels, the MN Board of Animal Health (BAH), designated to be the authority to enforce the law, chose not to conduct rule-making. The creation of rules allows for language in a law (often broad) to be further defined, which allows for a more effective and measurable enforcement of the law by inspectors or investigators. This lack of rule-making has resulted in ineffective management of the breeder law. Once the bill was passed into law, Animal Folks and others provided the BAH with materials and experts on animal enrichment and socialization practices. To better understand if or how the BAH assesses enrichment, socialization, and staffing protocols in a licensed facility (and the proper enforcement of the law), Animal Folks requested training materials used by the BAH; the BAH has refused to provide such data. There is no oversight of the BAH and how it conducts its inspections of breeding facilities. A lack of understanding about animal welfare and the psychological needs of dogs in breeding kennels is another reason why the Companion Animal Board bill has been introduced. It is time the enforcement of the breeder law be transferred to a board and staff with a keen knowledge of canine health and well-being. (The BAH is governed by livestock producers and staffed by livestock veterinarians due to their mission, which is the control of dangerous animal disease.)
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