Commercial breeder cited
Richmond, MO (US)

Incident Date: Tuesday, Aug 23, 2011
County: Ray

Disposition: Civil Case

Person of Interest: Jeannine Julian

Attorney General Chris Koster, in cooperation with the Missouri Department of Agriculture, has filed a lawsuit against Jeannine Julian of Richmond for violations of the .

Julian, a registered breeder who raises Labrador retrievers and dachshunds, wasn't at home Tuesday morning to comment on the legal action and didn't respond to note left requesting a call. According to court papers, Julian keeps 33 breeding females at her kennel.

The state's petition stems from a number of inspections at Julian's home-based kennel on West 88th Street in rural Richmond. According to court documents, JJ Kennel was inspected five times between March 2010 and July 2011.

Koster said Julian owns JJ Kennel, a commercial breeder facility located in Richmond. Missouri Department of Agriculture inspections uncovered numerous violations of the law, including that Julian:

* repeatedly refused to allow Department of Agriculture inspections of her breeding facility;

* failed to provide adequate veterinary care to animals who were in obvious medical distress;

* failed to provide housing that protected the animals from injury;

* failed to ensure that interior surfaces were free of excessive rust and that kennel doors were properly maintained;

* failed to maintain adequate lighting, leaving some dogs in complete darkness;

* failed to prevent excessive accumulation of feces and food waste in the primary housing enclosures and to provide uncontaminated, wholesome food to the dogs;

* failed to have adequate employees to carry out the required level of husbandry practices, resulting in excessive feces throughout the outdoor runs; and

* failed to pay a $100 re-inspection fee required in the case of repeat violations of the ACFA.

Koster is asking the court to issue injunctions and a temporary restraining order prohibiting Julian from any further violations of the Animal Care Facilities Act or the Canine Cruelty Prevention Act and from conducting any commercial breeding activity until further order of the court; assess a $100 ACFA license re-inspection fee; assess a civil penalty of up to $1,000 per violation of the Animal Care Facilities Act; and pay court costs.

The lawsuit marks the third case in which Koster is able to use the force and effect of the Canine Cruelty Prevention Act, sometimes called the Missouri Solution, which was approved by the Missouri legislature and signed into law by Governor Jay Nixon on April 27, 2011. The Act, the result of an agreement between the Missouri Department of Agriculture, commercial dog breeding and farming interests, and Missouri-based animal welfare organizations, strengthens standards for veterinary care and living conditions for dogs in commercial breeding facilities. The Act also gives the Attorney General's Office the authority to file criminal charges for "canine cruelty," the authority to seek civil penalties for offenders, and to seek enhanced penalties for repeat offenders.

"We have an obligation to protect the well-being of animals, and Missouri has recognized that obligation by passing laws outlining acceptable standards for pet breeders and commercial pet dealers," Koster said. "This office will diligently continue to see that those laws are enforced."

References

« Back to Search Results
« MO State Animal Cruelty Map
« More cases in Ray County, MO

Note: Classifications and other fields should not be used to determine what specific charges the suspect is facing or was convicted of - they are for research and statistical purposes only. The case report and subsequent updates outline the specific charges. Charges referenced in the original case report may be modified throughout the course of the investigation or trial, so case updates, when available, should always be considered the most accurate reflection of charges.

For more information regarding classifications and usage of this database, please visit the database notes and disclaimer.