The Colerain Township Zoning Hearing Board tonight will consider the fate of the latest of a slew of county dog kennels operating without township approval.

Bennie E. Kauffman of 358 Bell Road, Christiana, is seeking approval of his existing Kauffman Kennels at 352 Bell Road.

State records show the kennel has operated for years.

But it never received necessary zoning approval from Colerain Township, according to township Zoning Officer Charles W. Emerich Jr.

"Kennels in Colerain Township are only permitted by special exception," he said.

Kauffman also needs a variance, since the kennel is not set back at least 500 feet from all property lines, Emerich said.

Kauffman did not return phone calls for comment about the kennel.

Emerich said he thought that the kennel has been operating for about 18 months.

State Department of Agriculture spokesman Chris Ryder said Kauffman has had a state license to house up to 500 dogs a year since at least 2005.

Ryder said the kennel has been in existence since at least 2001, but he could not immediately determine this morning when its first state license was issued.

A Jan. 19, 2006 state inspection revealed 108 dogs at the kennel.

A law change by Gov. Ed Rendell now requires proof of local approval before a state license is renewed.

So kennel owners have been scrambling the last few months to get their kennels approved on the township level, after the fact.

Emerich said the township's zoning hearing board "has some apprehension about pre-existing operations," but he does not know how much that will factor into its decision on Kauffman's kennel, which may or may not come tonight.

The zoning officer said the township has not received any complaints about the kennel, which is in a rural area zoned for agriculture.

Emerich said two people — not neighbors of the kennel — have called to inquire about the zoning hearing board meeting set for tonight at 7 o'clock, at the township municipal building, 1803 Kirkwood Pike, Kirkwood.

Colerain Township regulations stipulate that if a kennel has more than 10 adult animals to be kept on the premises, the total number must be approved by the zoning hearing board.

A state inspection of the Kauffman Kennels shows there were 101 dogs at the kennel on Feb. 2, 2009. There were 193 dogs there in the previous 12-month period, the report says.

The kennel was in compliance with all state regulations at the time of the inspection.

Most of the other existing kennels that have come before zoning hearing boards in the county in recent months have ultimately been approved.


Staff writer Ryan Robinson can be reached at rrobinson@LNPnews.com or 481-6032.