Spencer
County kennel accused of
animal abuse, again
My local news has been reporting on this story for the past couple of days. Earlier reports say she has over 200 dogs.
Spencer County kennel accused of animal abuse, again
Posted: Feb 17, 2024 12:41 AM EST Updated: Feb 18, 2024 12:33 PM EST By Courtney Godfrey – email
Photos posted on Facebook of alleged animal abuse are prompting outrage
The photographer claims this photo was taken at Kev-Lar Kennels in Mt. Eden
This was shared nearly 900 times in only two day
TAYLORSVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — animal lovers across the country are taking to Facebook, outraged by pictures allegedly taken at a Spencer County kennel.
Photos circulating on social media show dogs chained up, appearing to lack adequate ****ter and nutrition. The person behind the photos says the images come out of Kev-Lar Kennels in Mt. Eden.
The owner of Kev-Lar Kennels, Laura Pope, did not respond to a request for comment.
In 2024, Pope was charged with 85 counts of animal cruelty. Months later, she her dogs were returned. Pope and her partner, Kevin Bailey, continue to breed dogs on the same property in Mt. Eden.
The images posted on social media sites are once again raising concern about Pope’s breeding practices.
According to a Spencer County ordinance, dogs must be given adequate ****ter from inclement weather and precipitation, including insulated bedding materials during weather extremes. The ordinance also prohibits continuous chaining of dogs.
According to County officials, Spencer County Judge Executive Bill Karrer and Officer Nolan Bryant with K-9 Rescue and Enforcement visited Pope’s property last week and re-issued her a kennel license.
WDRB cameras caught up with Bryant at Spencer County animal Control Sunday. He said the dogs on Pope’s property appeared to be well-fed, clean, and living in frequently manicured areas.
"Do I personally have an issue with all the dogs? Yes, but unfortunately the County doesn’t say she can’t have that many dogs," Bryant told reporter Courtney Godfrey as cameras were rolling.
Bryant said if they (county officials) felt Pope was in violation of County ordinances, it wouldn’t be up to him to cite her.
"The judge went out himself and looked and didn’t have a problem with it," said Bryant. "It’s up to the judge and the County attorney. If they say ‘this is what we need to fix’ then that’s what we’ll tell her to fix."
WDRB reached out to Judge Executive Karrer and did not receive a response by news time.
The non-profit organization, No Kill Louisville, said they have received a number of phone calls and emails regarding the photos.
"At minimum the conditions are not adequate," said Jeremy Ficklin.
Ficklin said, if indeed Pope is in violation of current laws–and those laws aren’t being enforced–Kentucky has a bigger problem.
"Unless that part of the problem is addressed, it’s not going to get fixed," said Ficklin. "This will get shut down because of public opinion, and in a year, the next one gets a license and we’re fighting the same battle."
Neither Pope nor Bailey have been charged.
Copyright 2024 WDRB News. All Rights Reserved.
Spencer County kennel accused of animal abuse, again – WDRB 41 Louisville News
Spencer Co. kennel owner won’t be charged
Posted: Feb 19, 2024 5:22 PM EST Updated: Feb 19, 2024 5:47 PM EST By Courtney Godfrey – email
A petition urging the closure of Kev-Lar Kennels says ice covers the ground in kennels
Records show Pope owns huskies, German shepherds, and some mixed breeds
TAYLORSVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Pictures of alleged animal abuse in Spencer County are making the rounds on the internet. But County officials are standing by their decision not to charge the owner.
The photos show dogs chained up outside in frigid temperatures, kennel floors covered in ice and water dishes frozen over.
The images have gained so much attention, an online petition to shut the breeder down has nearly 3,000 signatures in only a few days.
But the person those thousands are trying to convince — Spencer County Judge Executive Bill Karrer — says the breeder has done nothing wrong.
"I don’t see any animals up there whose lives seem to be in danger," said Karrer. "I did not see the filthiness that people were trying to portray, it just wasn’t there."
Karrer says he visited breeder Laura Pope last week, and again Monday, and believes the photos are some what disingenuous.
"Here’s this frozen dish, yeah but right next to that dish was a dish of heated water that wasn’t frozen. So that was unfair to be singled out that way."
He also said although adult dogs were kept outside, they all appeared to have access to ****ter and puppies were kept in heated kennels.
"Puppies are in igloos with heat lamps–and in some cases even have heat pads."
The petition describes dogs "in filth and soaked in urine, their own feces, and even blood from fights."
It also vividly describes the scene as you enter Pope’s property.
"Dogs upon dogs line both the left and right side of the gravel road. Big dogs chained with heavy ****l chains, poor constructed ****ters made from wooden pallets, tin roofing on some, and buckets of solid frozen water. It’s not hard to tell the dogs have been here for quite some time. Giant wear marks in the ground recount the dog’s footsteps as they have paced back and forth, back and forth. No grass beneath their feet. Only mud, snow, and ice."
But animal control says, from what they see, Pope isn’t breaking any laws.
"Myself, I think there are too many dogs," said Nolan Bryant with K-9 Rescue and Enforcement. "But there is nothing the County says that she can’t have that many dogs."
And Pope is no stranger to the law. According to court records, she was convicted on one count of animal cruelty in 2024. The conviction came after a judge allowed Pope to take an Alford plea on 95 charges of animal cruelty in the second degree.
Because of that, Bryant said he put a pending kennel license on hold once complaints started rolling in.
"Once all this came up, with the issue that happened ten years ago, we wanted to proceed with caution, make sure what we were doing was correct," said Bryant.
He has yet to cash her check for the kennel license, and said they will continue to investigate. But at this time, it is likely she will get her license renewed because County officials don’t believe she is in violation of County ordinance.
"What it boils down to for us, is not what I think or like, but what’s legal," said Karrer.
Current Spencer County ordinances do not put a limit on the number of dogs one can possess.
Although it does rule against tying dogs up for over ten hours a day, Karrer admitted that ordinance is almost impossible to enforce.
"For me to know that, I would have to monitor it for 24 hours or better. And that becomes unenforceable," said Karrer.
Karrer added that the city continues to watch the situation closely.
"It’s not a dead issue, we will continue to monitor and investigate the situation," said Karrer.
Spencer County officials aren’t the only ones "okay" with Pope’s breeding practices. Just this past September, the American kennel Club found her in compliance with organization standards.
Copyright 2024 WDRB News. All Rights Reserved.
Spencer Co. kennel owner won’t be charged – WDRB 41 Louisville News
There are videos at the above linkx and below is the petition to shut down the puppy mill.
https://www.change.org/petitions/judge-elect-bill-karrer-shut-down-puppy-mill-in-spencer-county-ky-be-the-voice-for-the-voiceless-animals-and-not-the-silent-slam-of-a-door-on-their-lives-spencer-county-ky-you-need-to-stand-up-and-do-something?recruiter=80294915&utm_campaign=signatur e_receipt&utm_medium=email&utm_source=share_petiti on
I didn’t know if this was the right place to post this, sorry if its not, sorry if I did anything wrong in the post, and thanks for reading.
