A dog breeder whose licence wasn't renewed in Bradford following complaints over the treatment of the animals at her kennel is now breeding and selling dogs in King Township, former employees say.
Animal advocate Donna Power, who operates Ontario Puppy Mills — Stop This Now, had raised concerns that Saint Berdoddle breeder Deborah, whose last name has not been confirmed, was still operating Goliath Kennels in Bradford after claiming it had been permanently closed.
Bylaw and animal control officials confirmed that the Town of Bradford West Gwillmbury has not renewed her licence to operate as a breeder, and that she is not licensed to sell dogs in Bradford. The town wouldn't provide further details regarding the decision not to renew the kennel's licence, but did confirm there have been complaints about the breeder.
Since the publication of the story on Goliath Kennels, numerous individuals, including former employees of the kennel, have reached out advising that the kennel is still in business, but under a new name and website, ontariodoodles.com, in Schomberg.
The breeder, Deborah, did not respond to a request for comment.
Earlier this year, Goliath Kennels in Bradford had more than 100 dogs seized from its facility due to inhumane conditions and mistreatment. The dogs were taken in by area rescues and have since found loving homes. Anonymous volunteers from the rescues say these dogs have health issues.
A former employee who requested anonymity said they once counted 160 breeder dogs at the kennel that was "rat-infested, filthy and overcrowded." The employee took two short videos inside the kennel and shared them with Power, who, with permission, shared them on Facebook here and here.
“I know first-hand what goes on at Goliath and the type of person that Deborah is,” said another former employee, who also described inhumane conditions at the kennel. “I’ve tried to go against her business on my own and speak with authorities but never had any luck."
Another former employee said the animals were never cared for properly.
“There were at least over 80 dogs in the section I was working in. It smelt disgusting. Her ventilation system really didn't work. There was only heating in half the kennel. The dogs wouldn’t go out more than once a day. They were basically living in squalor," they said.
One of the employees noted many of the dogs were heavily matted, never bathed or groomed and had untrimmed nails.
“One dog’s nails were so bad, they were rolling back into his skin,” one of the former employees said. “Many of the dogs also had injuries. Multiple dogs who got injured wouldn’t get taken care of. They’d put Swedish bitters on them as a herbal remedy. When I was there, a dog had a seizure and they said she passed away on the way to the vet.”
One family that adopted a dog from Goliath Kennels thought the way Deborah conducted business was strange.
“Deborah allowed us to have a dog for free,” the anonymous adopter said. “She said she was moving and wasn’t going to breed anymore.”
The family noticed right away the dog had to adjust to sleeping inside, didn’t know what a treat or a toy was, and had no name.
“I felt something was off, but I never knew what the place was like because we were never invited over,” they said.
Another customer, Mary Ann Coish, called the kennel a “hell hole,” and started a Facebook group for customers of Goliath Kennels and those who adopted dogs from the rescues that seized them from Goliath.
Coish, who adopted one of the dogs from a rescue, said the dog was in rough shape when she first brought her home.
Many members of the Facebook group shared similar issues.
“She (the dog) was riddled with fleas in the worst infestation my groomer had ever seen," Laura Gillies said. "She was covered in flea poo. It took two of them three hours to get her clean, and the walls and bathtub were covered in fleas afterward."
She said the dog's teeth were so bad, they required cleaning under sedation, and one tooth had to be extracted.
"She was peeing blood and she smelled like the rhino enclosure at the zoo and her eyes were so thick with green pus that it wasn’t evident how well she could see,” added Gillies.
Her vet said the dog's growth was stunted from having been bred at a young age. The dog also has social issues, was distrusting of men and had anxiety when outside.
“The vet said she’s had several litters. Having said that, she is a sweet girl who’s learning to trust and is quiet and gentle, and I had to adopt her,” said Gillies.
Goliath Kennels customer Karen Proud was told by vets her dog, Bailey, was dealing with issues stemming from a lack of physical care.
"I knew she was from a bad breeding situation, but it was not until contact with some of the other rescuers that I came to understand how horrible things were for these poor dogs,” Proud said.
“When I first got Bailey, I took her to my vet for a check-up because I felt she was incredibly thin — her spinal bones were very visible under her skin. What I was told was that her weight was not bad, but she had almost no muscle along her spine, which is why it was so visible. The cause of that was likely a complete lack of any sort of exercise/movement — an indication she had spent her life in a pen or cage,” she said.
“Breeders such as where she came from should be charged and banned from ever breeding, or even having dogs in the future," she said.
She said Bailey is doing better but still shows signs of abuse.
"She is absolutely terrified of flashlights at night and is also scared of all men — but she is living her best life on my 100-acre farm, where she can run and play with her dog siblings," she said.
Lindsey Wallwork and her family adopted one of the Goliath Kennels dogs, Gary, who is dealing with long-term medical issues.
Originally, Gary’s mouth was in rough shape, with hot spots. He also had thyroid issues that require daily medication.
“He has a big bump on his bum and the vet thinks it’s from a bite that went untreated,” said Wallwork.
“He was really afraid of parked cars in the beginning and had never even been on stairs before. He was very afraid of men.”
Despite all his issues, she says Gary is a “super sweet dog” and she has no regrets about the adoption.
All the Goliath dog adopters said they consider themselves lucky for having the dogs, but are upset over how they were raised and want others to be aware of potential puppy mill scams.
“It’s so sad to see,” said Gillies. "These are the lucky ones that have homes and have someone able to invest in their health.”
