Mission: Save These Dogs From Blue Ridge Kennel’s Horror Show

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.

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:

— Several dogs suffered from chipped teeth and other agonizing dental problems for nearly a year.

— Several dogs had smelly ear infections.

— Three dogs with thyroid problems were months overdue for veterinary treatment.

— Rusty metal jutted into dogs’ pens, and a quarter of the enclosures had peeling paint.

— The facility wasn’t following its own inadequate plan to prevent parasites in the dogs.

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.

earn peta2 points

These long-suffering dogs need your help. Here’s how to urge the USDA to seize the dogs and earn 150 peta2 points from our Rewards Program at the same time:

1. Send polite comments to:

Sarah Helming
Associate Administrator
USDA APHIS
[email protected]

Please feel free to use the sample letter that pops up, but remember that using your own words is always more effective.

2. Take a screenshot of your sent email and submit it for 150 peta2 points. (Heads-up: You’ll only be awarded points for taking this action once.)

Note: Submissions are manually reviewed by our team. Please allow up to 48 hours for your mission to be approved and points to be awarded. Thanks for your patience!

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