North Country Kennels Some serious questions need to be addressed about this mill. Ironton Minnesota

As you read previously, My dog Maggie Mae died after only 7 months. She had kennel cough the moment we picked her up and Mike said she was fine after he called Lucy on the telephone. Our dog also had seizures, craved everything, and her immune system was not up to snuff. We miss her terribly. I have since educated myself on puppy mills. North County Kennels is a puppy mill. They will not allow anyone on their property to inspect where they are breeding around 100 female dogs. They have around 250 puppies at one time. If you do a search on the internet you will find complaints regarding this place. Do a search under CAPS and it specifically mentions this puppy mill. I am so sorry for your loss.

In my efforts to contact Lucy Gerold and North Country Kennel I stumbled upon this site and in all honesty, I am stunned, shocked and my heart is breaking. I purchased a tiny toy female puppy from Lucy Gerold 10 years ago and just last Saturday had to end her life. She was literally my heart and soul and I am not beyond the point where I can think of her and not cry. I feel as if my heart has literally been ripped from my body.

So, when I started reading the various comments posted I was very surprised, but now maybe some of what we went through with Cissy is making more sense. Several years ago after trips to the University of Minnesota and a neurologist in Chicago, it was discovered that Cissy had hydrocephalous (sp?) and that her skull was not formed properly. At the time we were devestated and not hopeful that we would have her for very long. However, with periodic doses of prednisone and daily doses of phenobarbitol her "headaches" and "seizures" were managed and she lived a very happy life. She was my world and she loved me with all her little heart and soul.

Last week she developed an auto-immune disorder brought on by what we believe was a tumor in her liver. It was also discovered by the x-rays that her little spine was fusing in one area. One day she was fine, the next she was fighting for her life. After numerous blood transfusions, her condition did not improve and her daddy (a veterinarian) and me decided to do the one last act of love we could give her.

In my grief and heartbreak I was attempting to see if Lucy Gerold was still in business and potentially purchase another toy poodle to try to fill the hole in my heart that Cissy left. But, after reading your comments I think it may have saved me from do that and having my heart break all over again. Intellectually, I know our little friends don't usually out live us and that some day they will break our hearts, but if these little ones are defective to begin with due to improper breeding, then it has to stop. Thank you all for making me aware of the situation and I am sorry for the loss of all your little ones too.

I am so sorry to hear about your little angel. We absolutely love animals. We have a minature toy poodle who is 11 years old and a yorkie poo who is about 5 months old and is healthy! When we purchased Maggie from North Country Kennels she was never healthy but we loved her so much. My daughter could not sleep for weeks without crying and it ripped our hearts out. Lucy's reponse was basically to bad so sad, show me proof. Well, the proof of Maggie's death is hard to prove, other then she was never healthy. I am finding out the same thing as you, as I do more research more comes up about North Country Kennels. I have been contacted by several organizations which have complaints regarding this place and were eager to hear my story. How I found my new yorkie poo was by asking through friends. You don't want a place that is mass breeding or a puppy mill. You will find a poodle with no problem. We got to go visit where our puppy lived and seen her parents. The people were wonderful. Now, Lucy will say, yes we used to let people come here but they brought in disease. That is always a big red flag when they don't want you to see where they are breeding. If you do a search under CAPS also you will see they have had complaints. I'm glad we saved you that heartache. God bless you. I do know what you are going through. I still look at pictures of Maggie and just cry for that little angel. Ann

First, let me tell you that I am so very sorry to hear about your loss. We had to put our Keeshond, Cagney, to sleep a few years ago...and my heart still aches.

I wanted to comment about North Country Kennels as a consumer and a proud Mama of a Yorkipoo named "Cricket" that we have had for almost 3 years. Cricket was bred and born at NCK, and all of my interactions with Lucy and Cindy were professional and positive. I was looking for a puppy with the natural inclination to be a therapy dog. When my turn came up on the waiting list, Cindy told me that the puppies that were available were not the best suited for what my needs/desires were. Although I was so incredibly anxious to get a puppy, I appreciated their honesty and concern for placing the perfect disposition dog in my care. I went through about 3 more puppy selections before "puppy B" became my Cricket. This kennel knows the puppies in the litter...they know the personalities, and all without being prompted or placing you on hold to get the information.

When my parents had to put their Bichon to sleep a few months ago, they knew how amazing my experience had been with NCK, and what an incredible dog Cricket is...so they got a new Pekepoo puppy from them. When my Mom called and spoke with them, she mentioned the parents of the litter and they knew exactly which puppy it was they were interested in. They described her to a "t" and knew her personality without having to refer to notes.

My experience with NCK has been nothing but positive, and my puppy was even more wonderful than they had described. She is a happy and very well-socialized dog. She had been put in an area of the kennel where boarders or grooming clients came in, and as a result was loved on and met many different people. The kids at NCK also interact with the puppies. This is so evident in Cricket, and she is amazing with children and has a love for everyone.

I am sorry that some people have had a negative experience, and again I am so very sorry for your loss. I can say with all honesty and sincerity that I plan to "adopt" my next furbaby from NCK...I did a lot of "homework" on breeds, breeders and training before deciding to get a puppy from them. Everything they tell you from training to breed characteristics is right on the money. I am a firm follower of the ideology of the Monks of New Skete and Karen Pryor Clicker Training, and NCK was of the same mind and heart.

((((Furbaby Kisses and puppy breath HUGS)))

Lisa :)

CAPS Complaints
CAPS receives consumer complaints from people who have purchased puppies over the internet. Most of these puppies have mild to very serious medical problems, including hereditary defects. On May 11, 2006 CNN aired a lengthy segment entitled, Sick Puppies Dog Some Online Purchasers. In this story on internet puppy sales, CNN Consumer Correspondent Greg Hunter interviewed CAPS President Deborah Howard, who addressed the issues involved with internet puppy buying and showed video footage of puppy mills that sell to The Hunte Corporation, the largest puppy brokerage facility in the country. The story focused on Celebrity Kennels (aka Wizard of Claws) in Florida, who obtain many of their puppies from Hunte. Celebrity Kennels sells puppies both through a strip mall store front, where they show puppies to consumers who sit in a waiting room, and over the internet. Just because pet shops and online sellers have celebrity customers doesn't mean that these puppy merchants obtain puppies from reputable breeders.

Summary of a few CAPS' Internet Puppy Complaints North Country Pets (www.mixedbreedpups.com), Ironton, Minnesota
Malti-poo with Portacavel Shunt who died four days after purchase. Pages listing litters and upcoming litters immediately arouse suspicion that this breeder has a puppy mill. There are numerous dogs and puppies at this facility. The owners deliberately cross breed their dogs to produce mixed breed puppies, also know as "designer" dogs. Another indication of a puppy mill: the owners do not allow prospective buyers on the premises, claiming that humans transmit diseases to puppies. In fact, the opposite is true. Dogs have certain worms and illnesses that can be transmitted to humans (for example, roundworms, sarcoptic mange and giardia). The following paragraph is quoted from their website: Can we visit and see the pups? - We used to answer this with a resounding YES! However, we recently had an experience with a pup that became sick shortly after going to her new home. The pup recovered nicely, but the only way this pup could have been exposed to this virus was through casual contact with visitors, as we have NEVER dealt with this virus before. No, you don't need to worry about getting a pup from us, but we really do need to safeguard the health of our puppies, for the puppies' sake, our sake, and the buyer's sake. Unfortunately, even the most diligent, clean, well-meaning visitors can bring a disease to our kennel that can spell disaster for our puppies. Think of it this way - hospitals don't allow visitors into the nursery area. Baby and Puppy immune systems are not fully functional for months.
And yet another sign of a mill is the fact that the puppies are not raised in a home:

Are the pups raised in the house? - No. Frankly, no-one could have litters of puppies like this in a clean, healthy, environment in the house. And, we have a small grooming shop and boarding kennel, so we're at work in our kennel anyway. Mike and Lucy generally begin their day with the puppies at about 6 am, and finish up about 5 pm, with a final walk for the dogs at about 9 pm. The kids, Elizabeth (12), Charles (5), Rachel (3), and Eleanor (2) love to play with the pups. The babysitter has a scheduled time to bring the three little ones out the "shop" to play with puppies every day.