• @Rockcreekk:

    Not 1 of you has offered to help steer us in the right dirstion. You all state who things should of been done this way or that. We after tomorrow you won't have to deal with our Kennel or our Dogs. Our vet won't come out to put down our dogs because he says I'm over reacting to you people. Well I've had it so I have a vet coming out from topeka. I'm don't with you people. You don't know your ass from a hole in the ground. You want to accuse people of stuff and not know what you are talking about.

    Uhm, okay, because some people you've never met on an internet board you've only been to a handful of times and have said (repeatedly?) that you're not going to return to have angered you, you're going to kill 63 of your fine perfectly healthy dogs? Really?! I may not know my rear from a hole in the ground, but I can assure you nothing anyone on any virtual society could convince me to kill my dogs.

    And I may have missed something in this thread, but exactly what sort of question did you ask that needs guidance? People on this board are very knowledgeable and usually happy to help irregardless of what has happened in the past.

    totally unrelated quote:
    A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.


  • post deleted, duplicate


  • RockCreekk:'
    I am not an expert, nor am I perfect, but I will offer you advice to "steer you in the right direction." I have had Basenjis for over 20 years, have bred relatively sparingly, but every breeding had a purpose - to improve the breed and to introduce and educate others to these wonderful dogs. I have owned other breeds; Boxers, German Shepherds, Poodles and have rarely been without a dog my entire life. When I didn't have dogs, I always had cats, rats, hamsters, parakeets, tropical fish… We currently show in conformation, occasionally lure course, and have previously shown in obedience (not with the Basenjis - the Shepherd and the Poodle) I am hoping to learn tracking. These are my 'credentials.'

    The first thing I would suggest to you is that you pick one or even two breeds to specialize in. The rest of your dogs should be spayed or neutered and placed in loving homes. Not euthanized, how barbaric! You may have to overcome your own prejudice and allow many of your dogs to go to ---- Breed Rescue! They have the contacts and resources to find homes much more quickly and easily than you can as an individual. Then, once you're down to a reasonable number of dogs, have all of them tested for inherited genetic issues as well as breed specific issues. For Basenjis, minimum testing would include hips, eyes, Fanconi DNA testing. Thyroid and HA could probably wait unless you see symptoms of thyroid problems, HA is not always routinely performed any more, although many breeders do test for it. Go through OFA and have all results publically available. Next, show your dogs in conformation or participate in performance events. This gives you outside confirmation of the quality of your dogs, not just you thinking how cute they are. Other knowledgeable owners, breeders, and judges will have the opportunity to evaluate your breeding program and offer help and direction. If you aren't comfortable with AKC, there are other venues, United Kennel Club is an alternative. Become aware of the national breed clubs and what they have to say about health issues in the breed as well as mentoring possibilities, seminars, and advice on screening homes for placement. Joining the national breed club would be a good thing. Get on a number of discussion lists and read what people have to say. Digest it, process it, and try not to respond unless you have considered your response and how it sounds. And one more thing - get involved in rescue, no matter what your opinion of 'those rescue people.' You can be a force for good and for helping the animals you love. There are many ways to be involved - fostering, transport, coordinating, evaluating homes, referring people...

    Hoping that you eventually hear what people are trying to say - yes, some of what is said here is angry and impulsive, but we're ALL here because we love our dogs and especially our Basenjis. Sometimes our temper gets the best of us all.

    Terry


  • Just had to add one last thing. Please, if/when you breed another litter, send them to HOMES with families, not to customers. (that was just an irritant when I read it. Words are powerful.)

    Terry


  • Is there anyone who knows the pedigrees of this breeder's Basenjis? Would you know if they are AKC, APRI, ACA, CKC, or UABR?

    Jennifer


  • Rockcreekk seems to be very confused on who he actually is and what he is actually doing. Recently I attended a Miami County Zoning Board Meeting for a new person who has moved into an area that we we're notified of who has 100 dogs in his custody and unlike what Rockcreekk says these dogs are caged with 2 to 3 dogs in each cage. Everyone who attended the meeting was given a booklet with pictures. We've seen on this forum where someone by the name of Harold Buzz Powell has moved to Paola, Kansas - which happens to be Miami County, right where I am. During the meeting with the zoning board the manager of the kennel started speaking and then the other gentlemen started speaking. When he was asked to state his name by the zoning board, he stated his name was Harold Buzz Powell. So, I ask, same house dog names, same address, and now in the same business?? Also, it would benefit you all to know when I talked to the local Sheriff's Department and asked why Harold Buzz Powell was not registered in Miami County - when I was aware he had been here since January, they informed me that he had come to register the week prior to my call - last week in March. Please note, I had personally seen him in early January, but benefit of the doubt, maybe he still lived in Meriden. They also wanted to let me know that the registration process is almost 60 days behind on their updates. The person who called himself Harold Buzz Powell told us all in this zoning meeting that he and his partner had moved from Meriden, Kansas and provided us with a photocopy of the business card, which is Rock Creek Kennel. The email address on this business card is spelled with the same spelling as the user Rockcreekk. I also looked Harold Buzz Powell directly in the face and I can confirm that yes, it sure looks like the same person. Yes, this person who spoke answered the zoning board with the fact that he had 100 dogs and had planned for up to 120 or 130, I wish I could remember the exact number. Shockingly, he lives on 13 acres in Miami County just as someone had mentioned earlier. The name of the kennel in which Harold Buzz Powell is planning to set up or has really just moved in without any permission is Bully Farms Kennel and the conditional use permit that was applied for is NOT in his name. He also said that he had some sort of Kansas State License, which I imagine may be in the same persons name who filed for the conditional use permit. The website that is currently under construction is http://www.bullyfarms.com/. It is also a huge coincidence that this person provided the same facebook page that we could view his dogs, as I am seeing ALL over this forum thread. I also believe as part of public record you can go to: http://www.miamicountyks.org/agenda/planning_agenda.pdf in which you can see the name of the person applying for the conditional use permit. There was also "another" person on- site at the time that our officials came to this property - he introduced himself as David Turner. I think after investigation we might find out that David Turner and Harold Buzz Powell is one in the same, but this is just speculation. Harold Buzz Powell told the zoning board that he would have to sell his dogs at auction if he was denied the permit. The zoning board did deny his permit and it is now set to go in front of the County Commissioners. It seems like Rockcreekk may need some help as stated earlier by another post, as it seems he may have some form of amnesia. If I am wrong then I would suggest that Rockcreekk track down this guy named Harold Buzz Powell as he must be an imposter!


  • (Pictured below: Shayne with our house dogs;
    Blue, Roscoe, Snowflake Stevie and Anna)

    From Kennel Spotlight Pg 17 as mentioned in post by curlytails

    Could the above possibly be the same person name Shayne as in the Miami County planning commission agenda as mentioned in the post up above this one? Seem like another coincidence doesn't it? How many is that now? Is anyone keeping count?

    While I am sure this forum's purpose is not to assassinate anyone, I do think people will speak out when that care about Basenji's and other dogs when necessary. From what I have seen, posts similar to this one have existed in the past but have not necessarily been tolerated by the moderator/owner of this forum. Personally I think what has been exposed in this thread so far is a good example of why threads similar to this one should not be shut down. The internet and forums like these, are just another way for people who care the health, welfare, and safety, of Basenjis and other animals, to have an opportunity to educate, expose, combat, and fight back against similar situations such as the one exposed here.


  • So this guy has not moved or is moving and trying to set up a kennel under a different name? Is that what I am getting from this information? Seems like we have flushed out the truth about something and now he is trying to cover-up by starting a new kennel in a different location. This is very interesting information.


  • Are any updates on this situation? Do we know if this Kennel is still in business or has been shut down? In situations like this one, what happens if enough people complain to the USDA? Will the USDA step up and investigate if concerned people make enough noise? Rescue groups can only do so much and treat the symptom but not the cause. Collectively as a group maybe we can make an impact, but I think we are also aware that will not be able to completely solve the puppy mill problem that exists within the USA.

    One Idea might be to petition the govt to allow certified independent kennel inspectors who have the authority to shut down these types of operations. They could functions much like a US Post inspector, but could be 100% funded by concerned citizens. Concerned citizens are already supporting the rescue groups and their efforts so would it be that big a stretch to support kennel inspectors? I also think that the activities of each Kennel inspector would need to be open for review at least every 6 months to determine how honest and effective they are.

    Just some ideas.

    We could call it the PMV Puppy Mill Vigilantes

  • First Basenji's

    There are already USDA kennel inspectors. But they are overworked and ineffective, as they confess in a May 2010 audit they conducted of their own operations (available here as a lengthy .pdf entitled "Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Animal Care Program Inspections of Problematic Dealers" warning: graphic photos in document).

    Inspection reports are all publicly accessible via the APHIS database in the link Patty provided above:
    http://acissearch.aphis.usda.gov/LPASearch/faces/CustomerSearch.jspx

    If you use that link, you'll see that Thunder Ridge Kennel in Iowa was officially inspected five times (at least, on record). There was always at least one "indirect" violation on record. On the day 3/15/2010, which I believe is the day that Iowa rescue groups came to take his animals, the USDA inspector found 21 violations in a report that goes on for 10 pages. Charges ranged from "excessively dirty" food receptacles to "minimal enclosure spacing" (and since USDA regulations don't require very much room to begin with, this is saying something!), to having bug-infested facilities. It apparently takes a lot to shut down a puppy mill, especially when violations are either undocumented or usually amount to a slap on the wrist.

    We are already funding these federal government agencies, and their actions are, theoretically, available for public viewing. I think the APHIS database is a step in the right direction for the sake of transparency, and I am glad that they took the initiative to conduct a self-audit. However, I would also like to see proactive steps taken to ensure that the appropriate agencies are actually doing their jobs.

    Whistleblower assistance certainly seems to be called for when the local authorities appear to have difficulty monitoring everything within their own jurisdictions. I do find it hard to believe that the physical relocation of a puppy mill housing 100+ dogs would go unnoticed by local authorities. The community, as "concerned" has demonstrated, is more than willing to mobilize to eliminate what they don't want – and I firmly believe that most people don't want puppy mill dogs, they just may not know about them. So kudos to the citizens of Paola for knowing, and for taking a stand on their own front.

    Meanwhile, I have reported Rock Creek Kennel's Facebook profile for violating their own terms of service in that a) personal profiles are supposed to be attached to real names, and b) registered sex offenders are not permitted to have Facebook accounts. I have received no response from Facebook. If you would also like to report the profile, the place to do so is here.

    I have also forwarded this information, including this thread, to the Kansas Bureau of Investigations. (I hope that moderators/admins will keep this thread available, at least long enough to enable investigation and to keep a public record of where this kennel has been.) I received a pretty quick and helpful response from a Kansas state officer who said that the information was being passed onto the Sheriff's offices of the two Kansas counties where Harold Buzz Powell has been noted to reside. However, sex offender registry and the Dept. of Agriculture are typically separate entities, and need to deal with him separately. Anyway, the ball is in their court, and I hope to hear of a decisive resolution.

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