A cat’s tale aside to the Tenney commercial breeding kennel permit request

FRONT ROYAL – Tuesday evening, April 17, the Warren County Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing on the renewal application for a commercial dog breeding kennel Conditional Use Permit (CUP) by Wendy Tenney at her Gethsemane Mountain Ranch property on Limeton Church Road.

As Royal Examiner has covered the progress of Tenney’s CUP renewal process we read through voluminous material. Included in that material were communications back and forth between the county planning department and Ms. Tenney dating back to her original permit’s issuance in 2012; reports from the county animal control department in the wake of various inspections of her kennel operation; and more planning department exchanges with Tenney following the 2017 notice of a recommendation of revocation of her permit by the planning department following an investigation into the March 6, 2017 kennel fire in which 16 dogs died horrible deaths as Tenney herself described in one of those post-fire communications.

We have referenced those communications in stories on the county planning commission public hearing and voting process between January and March of this year. By a 3-2 vote the planning commission forwarded a recommendation of approval of Tenney’s permit renewal. Planning Commission majority recommends 2nd chance for kennel owner & Fatal kennel fire applicant granted second delay by county planners

However, one side portion of a Sheriff’s Office Animal Control report referencing visits of November 25 and December 1 and 3, 2016, just over three months before the fatal kennel fire caught our eye – OOPS, perhaps a poor choice of words in this case. We will let the report concerning December 1 and 3, 2016, visits of Animal Control Deputies April Morris and Laura Gomez speak for itself:

“While leaving Ms. Tenney’s property, a few young kittens were running around and looked well cared for. Deputy Gomez picked up one kitten that was sitting down and noticed its left eye was protruding out of its head. Ms. Tenney advised she was aware of the kitten’s eye and had been putting ointment on the eye. Deputy Gomez advised she needed to take the kitten to the vet as soon as possible because the eye is protruding out of its head and it is probably painful. Deputy Gomez asked Ms. Tenney when she would be able to take the kitten to the vet and she advised she could get the kitten to the vet this week. Deputy Gomez advised the kitten needed to see a vet within the next 3 days, which we will follow up with.”

Of that follow-up visit two days later the report states, “On December 3, 2016 at approximately 9 a.m. Deputy Gomez and Deputy Morris responded back to the Tenney’s residence to check on the status of the kitten that had an eye injury. Once there Ms. Tenney advised she did have an appointment but not till Monday. Deputy Gomez advised her she gave her three days as it was most likely painful. Ms. Tenney was argumentative about the time and that her vet couldn’t see her until Monday. Deputy Gomez advised her was not the only vet and that she told her three days meaning if she had an appointment for today then she would understand but waiting until Monday was not okay.”

The report continues to describe Deputy Gomez asking Ms. Tenney to call for an appointment while the animal control officers were still on site and a subsequent discussion with a Luray vet concerning the kitten named “Toothless”. The conversation indicated Tenney was following her vet’s instructions regarding the kitten’s situation, a situation complicated by the cat’s age.

“Deputy Gomez followed up and spoke with Dr. Austin who advised the kitten’s eye had ruptured and … eventually would need surgery. Dr. Austin advised that she would give the kitten some time as it was only 6 weeks old. Dr. Austin advised at the time of the initial injury it was most likely painful but at this time it did not seem to be painful and she provided her ointment to prevent secondary infection. Dr. Austin advised that she should wait for the kitten to be a few months old and that based on her conversation and where she (Ms. Tenney) lives the kitten may not even make it. Ms Tenney advised the vet that she lived on a farm on a main road and they lose cats all the time.”

We did not find any concluding report on the fate of “Toothless” in the thick folder of reference material obtained on the history of the Tenney kennel permit and interactions with county officials. Maybe someone can ask about “Toothless” at the Tuesday evening, April 17, Board of Supervisors public hearing on Tenney’s CUP renewal.

Oh, and by the way …

Also addressed in that report on the late November and early December 2016 animal control visits to Wendy Tenney’s kennel operation were a number of areas of concern surrounding potential conditional use permit violations. Those concerns ranged from the rough condition of the kennel’s concrete floor; the number of adult dogs being kept; the absence of bark collars; the fact the County Treasurer’s Office reported Tenney had not purchased any county tags for her dogs since 2014; the condition of the property’s septic system; the presence of an excessive amount of dog feces – “what appeared to be old and new” – in the kennel; and the use of a space heater to warm the kennel.

Of that latter concern the animal control report filed by Deputy April Morris states, “Deputy Gomez expressed her concerns with using a space heater to heat the indoor unit.” Gomez later verified that Tenney herself had told the officer the space heater’s cord showed signs of being chewed on by the kennel dogs.

The fire investigation report filed by Raymond Cross traced “burn patterns back to the area of the electrical space heater and found the wires and some components of that.” Cross also reported a conversation with a man he believes to have been Tenney’s husband about the power source the heater was connected to. “I did speak with the male at the scene in reference to the breaker this power was on and he advised that he was unable to locate where it came into the panel and if it even did, again his friend wired it with no county inspection or permit,” Cross wrote.

As we have previously reported on what have been at times contentious communications between Tenney and the county planning department since the March 2017 kennel fire and notice of a recommendation her permit be revoked, Tenney has blamed county permitting regulations for causing the fatal fire. It is a contention disputed by the county planning department and staff.