(New York, NY) – The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) is suing the federal government over its alleged lax oversight of a major Iowa puppy-mill operator. The organization filed the lawsuit Thursday in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, naming as defendants the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Michael Watson, who heads the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Also named as a defendant is Tom Vilsack, the secretary of agriculture and former governor of Iowa. According to the Iowa Capital Dispatch, the lawsuit alleges that the USDA has violated the federal Animal Welfare Act by repeatedly renewing the license of Steve Kruse, an Iowa-based breeder who operates a large-scale kennel in West Point and has a long history of animal welfare violations.

The ASPCA claims the USDA routinely licenses dog breeders and dealers such as Kruse despite the agency’s direct knowledge of practices that fall far below the standards required by the Animal Welfare Act. The lawsuit seeks a court order that would force the USDA to void all current licenses issued to Kruse and his associates and prevent the agency from renewing them. The USDA had yet to file a response to the lawsuit as of the latest report.

According to the ASPCA, the USDA’s own inspection reports detail “horrific treatment of breeding dogs kept caged in Kruse’s massive West Point, Iowa operation, which typically holds more than 700 dogs.” The inspectors’ reports document observations related to dogs limping and suffering from open, bleeding wounds; dogs with untreated eye infections or severe dental issues; painful fur matting; and a lack of veterinary care. The USDA reports also allege Kruse poured hot sauce on one dog’s open wounds keep the dog from licking them, and housed other dogs in cages so small they restricted the animal’s freedom of movement. The dogs also had fecal matter on their coats and in their food bowls, the USDA inspectors alleged. During one inspection, Kruse was alleged to have thrown a bag of dead puppies at a USDA official – but he has continued to operate his dog-breeding business under USDA licensure.

Steve Kruse’s Stonehenge Kennels in West Point, Iowa, has been repeatedly cited for failure to provide adequate veterinary care. The dogs pictured here were suffering from bleeding foot injuries and an eye disorder, according to federal inspectors. (Photo taken by USDA inspectors, courtesy of Bailing Out Benji)

In addition to licensing Kruse directly, the lawsuit alleges, the USDA has knowingly and unlawfully issued separate licenses for commercial kennels on properties owned by Kruse. Those licensees are stocked with Kruse’s dogs and sell to pet retailers around the country, the lawsuit claims. Hundreds of Kruse’s dogs allegedly cycle through those businesses every month as part of what the ASPCA calls a puppy-laundering scheme that is intended to conceal the role Kruse plays in supplying puppies to out-of-state retailers. That process allegedly allows Kruse to sell puppies to retailers in jurisdictions that prohibit the sale of dogs sourced from repeat offenders.

Robert Hensley, Senior Counsel for the ASPCA, said “The USDA’s handling of Steve Kruse is emblematic of the agency’s continued failure to protect dogs in puppy mills, and the agency’s outright refusal to simply do its job. Records obtained by the ASPCA revealed that the USDA is fully aware that Kruse’s agents are acting under the control and direction of Kruse, yet the USDA continues to license these facilities, enabling Kruse to shield himself from all risks and liability when violations of the Animal Welfare Act are discovered at his properties.”