Investigators removed the frozen carcasses of 11 dogs from a kennel operation in southern Dakota County, the Sheriff's Office said Thursday.
Bell Kennels in Sciota Township, just north of Northfield, is being investigated for cruelty to animals after the Sept. 29 raid by sheriff's deputies. Employees who tipped off investigators on Sept. 27 reported that several dogs were drowned or otherwise killed for misbehaving or "because they were bad mothers," according to a search warrant filed by the sheriff's office.
The kennel is licensed to house 60 to 70 puppies, but employees told investigators that the farm had 200 or more animals.
The animals were allegedly subjected to inhumane treatment and often were not de-wormed or given proper checkups.
The alleged abuses date back about a year, according to the search warrant.
The workers allege that the owner of the kennel would at times drown puppies or dogs in a nearby pond or in buckets in the barn, often when the dogs were weak or injured.
No charges have yet been filed against the owner or others involved with the kennel.
HERON MARQUEZ ESTRADA
