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Blue Ridge Kennel, a laboratory in Alabama that uses dogs in gross companion animal product tests, has racked up 63 citations for violating the federal Animal Welfare Act since 2020. But no matter how many citations it racks up, conditions there do not improve.
We need your help to pressure the USDA to step up and seize the long-suffering dogs imprisoned in this miserable facility—a good first step toward shutting it down. Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s State Bureau of Investigation (SBI)to investigate Blue Ridge Kennel and take enforcement action on behalf of the long-suffering dogs trapped there.
Blue Ridge Kennel’s Rotten Record
A yellow Labrador named Sunny suffered from a bad-smelling ear infection. Several dogs had been diagnosed with thyroid issues but were months overdue for treatment. Blue Ridge Kennel’s parasite prevention plan—which hadn’t been followed anyway—did little to establish care for the dogs. And pens at the facility had protruding rusty metal that posed a risk to the animals’ safety.
A yellow Labrador named Sunny suffered from a bad-smelling ear infection. Several dogs had been diagnosed with thyroid issues but were months overdue for treatment. Blue Ridge Kennel’s parasite prevention plan—which hadn’t been followed anyway—did little to establish care for the dogs. And pens at the facility had protruding rusty metal that posed a risk to the animals’ safety.
Recent Inspections
The USDA’s recent inspections have found even more horrific animal welfare violations. But yet again, the USDA didn’t take any further action, and Blue Ridge Kennel was back to business as usual the next day.
The agency has cited Blue Ridge for these violations:
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Several dogs suffered from chipped teeth and other agonizing dental problems for nearly a year.
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Several dogs had smelly ear infections.
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Three dogs with thyroid problems were months overdue for veterinary treatment.
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Rusty metal jutted into dogs’ pens, and a quarter of the enclosures had peeling paint.
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The facility wasn’t following its own inadequate plan to prevent parasites in the dogs.
This dog wasn’t being treated for a mass on the left side of her face.
Some of the dogs were left outside in the heat with no water. The USDA also discovered that two members of Blue Ridge Kennel’s animal oversight committee had zero training in what they were supposed to be doing and hadn’t filed proper paperwork. These are the people in charge of ensuring the dogs’ safety. 😑
Animals, regardless of species—even those dubbed “man’s best friend”—are treated like objects when used for experiments. Complete disregard for dogs’ well-being is nothing new for Blue Ridge Kennel. The laboratory has even bought dogs from people without licenses to sell them, so for all anyone knows, these animals could have been stolen. 😯
How You Can Help
Imagine if a dog you love were treated like an inanimate object and their urgent medical needs were ignored. The dogs at Blue Ridge Kennel can feel pain, fear, and sorrow—just like the ones in your life—and don’t deserve to suffer from worsening health problems.
On February 16, the USDA took the extremely rare action of filing a formal complaint against Blue Ridge Kennel for serious and chronic violations of federal animal welfare laws. In the ensuing months, the facility committed additional violations, in apparent flagrant disregard for the law. And in March 2024, the agency issued it an $80,000 penalty for racking up 83 citations for those violations. But problems remain, and dogs continue to suffer.
We wrote to the district attorney, urging him to investigate Blue Ridge Kennel for apparently violating the state’s law against cruelty to animals. He has referred the case to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s State Bureau of Investigations.
Now, it’s time for the USDA to do its job.
You can help—please take a minute out of your day to urge the agency to seize these long-suffering dogs. After you take action, you’ll see an easy way to share this info. Please ask five of your friends or relatives to support this campaign!