Cats, dogs to remain on Sarpy land

A rural Springfield couple now have Sarpy County's blessing to keep 16 dogs and seven cats for another year.

This week, the board voted 4-1 to give Julie Nielson and Dale Glenn a special-use permit for a private kennel.

Without the permit, the couple would have had to surrender the animals to the Nebraska Humane Society, where they probably would have been euthanized, the couple's attorney, Jason Bruno, told the Sarpy County Board.

The couple also agreed not to take in any more dogs and cats on their seven-acre parcel near 180th Street and Pflug Road, which is mostly surrounded by farmland. Their dogs and cats have all been spayed and neutered, they told the County Board.

“My clients are doing a noble and charitable thing,” Bruno told the board. “They are not fighting these dogs. They are not breeding these dogs. They are not running a business. They are trying to prevent them from being euthanized.”

Bruno said the couple plan to keep some of the dogs in their house at night to appease some neighboring landowners who have complained about dogs barking at all hours of the night.

The couple's property includes several outbuildings where the animals are housed. Besides the dogs and cats, they also have a half-dozen donkeys and miniature horses, a goat, turkeys, chickens, emus, ducks and pigeons.

On the advice of County Planning Director Rebecca Horner, the board approved a one-year special-use permit. Nielson and Glenn must allow Humane Society officials to conduct random inspections to ensure that the couple are properly caring for the animals.

At a July Sarpy County Planning Commission meeting, a Humane Society representative urged the county to reject the permit. At the time, the couple faced 17 misdemeanor charges stemming from a Humane Society investigation in April. Most of the charges accused Glenn of failing to vaccinate and license the dogs.

On Aug. 17, the Sarpy County Attorney's Office dropped the charges. In return, the couple agreed to attend education classes at the Humane Society to teach them how to better care for the dogs and cats. The Humane Society and the Nebraska Department of Agriculture have reviewed the couple's plans for disposing of animal feces from their property, and both agencies now support the yearlong special-use permit.

County Board member Rich Jansen of rural Gretna opposed the permit. He said the couple have a long history of failing to care for their dogs.

Bruno assured the board that his clients would remain in the good graces of the Humane Society.

“The Humane Society will be a watchdog over their property and the animals,” he said. “The animals will be in good shape. They are already in good shape.”

Contact the writer:

444-1056, john.ferak@owh.com