Breeders React to Turner County Case

by Jenna Mann
February 02, 2010


The raid at Dan Christensen's alleged puppy mill put dog breeding operations in the spotlight.  Since then, some breeders have found that the case has had a negative effect on their business.

As cute as puppies can be, for Anney and Jerry Geraets, they're a source of income.  The Geraets have been breeding Havanese show dogs for eight years.

Jerry Geraets says, "Our dogs are our family, as you can tell, and heck, even our neighbors know our dogs by name when they're out in the yard playing."

With just five mothers who deliver one litter a year, the Geraets say their operation is small.  Still, they're finding customers more wary of buying dogs since the September raid of Dan Christensen's hunting dog operation near Hurley.

The Geraets say true or not, cases like Christensen's can reflect poorly on other dog breeders.

Anney Geraets says, "There are some that say, 'Oh, there's a breeding kennel, therefore they're all like that.' because it's not the good kennels that get the notoriety, it's the ones that have issues."

Anney is a former board member for Second Chance Rescue Center and knows Rosey Quinn, the director of the dog raid.  She says while Quinn's passion for animals is a good thing, her decision to step down as director of Second Chance is a good thing.

Anney Geraets says, "Sometimes that passion makes us really good at our job, but passion sometimes can take over when it comes to reality or what the law says."

The Geraets say the dogs they raise are more of a hobby than a "big business", but for some, like Christensen, that's not the case.  They say for those breeders, the laws need to become more clear because what constitutes abuse can be a grey area.  For now, though, the Geraets will continue to focus on breeding and caring for their dogs.      

For more information about the Geraets' Havanese dogs, click here.