A Hope area couple’s plans to start a dog-breeding operation in northern Bartholomew County have been rejected.
The Bartholomew County Board of Zoning Appeals voted 4-1 Monday to reject the request by Aaron and Lena Oberholtzer for conditional-use approval to operate a kennel in an Agriculture: Preferred zoning district on a 55-acre property at 9173 E. County Road 950 North, Hope.
The Oberholtzers had asked for permission to breed about 100 small dogs such as Yorkies and Bichons. Dozens of people in the crowd held white signs with red letters, proclaiming: Carrying signs: “No Puppy Mills! They breed misery.” Opponents raised the issues of contamination, loss of property value and concern for well-being of the dogs.
For more on this story, see Wednesday’s Republic.
