(c) Derek Gurley Photography "Puppy"
Last March, Kathy Jo Bauck was found guilty of three counts of animal torture and one count of animal cruelty. She owned and ran Puppies on Wheels and Pick of the Litter Kennels. She was one of the largest dog brokers in the area shipping hundreds of puppies to local shops including Laughlin Kennel in Oxford, MA, Elite Puppies and Grooming in Webster, MA, and Precious Pups in Hudson, MA. In September of 2009, the U.S. Department of Agriculture revoked her license and restricted her from being able to sell dogs. This was after years of Animal Welfare Act violations and multiple state convictions.
Now here we are four months later and it appears there is a loop-hole that no one was counting on – the internet. A person can still sell pets online without a USDA license due to it is not a USDA regulated activity. When Bauck was convicted, she was allowed to keep her dogs as pets since they were considered her personal property. The websites that she had created and been conducting business through have been shut down. Although, there were several that she was selling through like Domesticsale.com, Chicago.kiji.com, Hoobly.com, Puppyfind.com and Mypetlisting.com. It does not appear she is conducting business through these at the present time, or at least not by her name or anyone of her family’s name.
This appears to be a loop-hole that no one counted one and hopefully Ms. Bauck will not take full advantage of his possibility. It is only a matter of time before this loop-hole is regulated for offenders. Ms. Bauck will have to wait until September 2011 to re-apply for her USDA license.
Picture Credit: Derek Gurley with DerekGurley Photography
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