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Article Archive > Dogs are relocated from unlicensed kennel Dogs are relocated from unlicensed kennel HOWELL - The close to 50 dogs removed from an unlicensed kennel on Lanes Pond Road last week are on their way to new locations, officials said. Associated Humane Society Director Bruce Sanchez said Monday some of the healthier dogs were sent to a no-kill shelter but the majority of the lot remain at the Society's Shafto Road location. Medical treatment for heart worm and spay and neutering are to occur before the dogs are released for adoption, Sanchez said. The dogs were removed from the home of Perry and Edith Buchko, 53 and 76 respectively, through a volunteer surrender on Thursday and Friday, said Victor "Buddy" Amato, Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals police chief. No charges were brought against the couple by the SPCA. "My concern is with the welfare of the animals, not for a fine or the amount of money we can get," Amato said. "My job is to investigate animal cruelty. The dogs are in no immediate danger, they all have good weight, there are no life threatening illnesses or malnutrition. If I thought the animals were in immediate danger or there was a risk of life to those animals, I would be over there." Dubbed a puppy mill by some, the Buchkos' kennel - Windsong Farm - has been in operation for close to 40 years. Its owners say they are a victim of bureaucracy, having attempted many times to renew their license but stalled by pending summonses and court appearances, all while trying to become compliant with new guidelines, Perry Buchko said. "We took a second mortgage on our home to put in a septic," Buchko said. "But the Board of Health won't give us the permits. It's been dragging on since May." Complaints of mistreatment, overcrowding and abuse are false, Edith Buchko said. "This is my lifetime achievement," she said. "I gave voluntarily my bloodline, which I never can replace. I'm not a puppy mill - I do scientific line breading." The Buchkos say the large number of dogs resulted partly because they don't put any of their animals to sleep in order to make way for the puppies and because they they need generations of a bloodline to properly breed the animals. Perry Buchko said the amount of animals they keep has never been a problem because the township has never restricted the amount of animals they could own. "This is our life, it's our living," Perry Buchko said. "They are just making it real tough and strict."
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