The Wisconsin Humane Society is buying one of the largest dog breeding facilities in the nation, and plans to close the kennel and find new homes for the more than 1,100 dogs there, the society announced Friday.

Kennel

Photo/Peter Holderness Murphy, a young bassett and terrier mix, sniffs out media after a Wisconsin Humane Society news conference on Friday.

Puppy Haven Kennel

Location: Markesan Dogs sold annually: 3,000 Breeds: Pugs, beagles, poodles, miniature schnauzers, Shih Tzus, American Eskimos, Yorkshire terriers, "designer breeds."

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The action appears to be an unprecedented step in the campaign by U.S. humane societies against puppy mills.

"We have not heard of this ever being done by a local facility," said Cory Smith, program manager of animal sheltering issues for the Humane Society of the United States. "You see these places and it's heartbreaking. So when you know that people are making a living by this, this approach seems like a logical step - to use financial means to get the animals out of there."

Puppy Haven Kennel in Markesan, about 90 miles northwest of Milwaukee, will close after selling its dog breeding business to the Wisconsin Humane Society for an undisclosed amount that Humane Society board member Tony Enea called "pennies on the dollar." In a statement, the society said the kennel's owner, Wallace Havens, was "willing to substantially discount the sale of the business because the dogs would be retired and placed in good homes."

Victoria Wellens, executive director of the Wisconsin Humane Society, said at a news conference Friday that new programs will be developed to help the dogs taken from Puppy Haven become more socialized and adoptable.

"None of these dogs has had a toy or been cuddled," Wellens said.

While in operation, Puppy Haven sold about 3,000 dogs a year. The dog breeds included pugs, beagles, poodles, miniature schnauzers, Shih Tzus, American Eskimos, Yorkshire terriers and mixes known as "designer breeds."

Havens was suspended and fined by the American Kennel Club in 2006 over conditions at his kennel, according to Daisy Okas, a spokeswoman for the AKC.

"AKC inspected Mr. Havens and found some dogs that were in overcrowded conditions, dogs with matted/dirty/neglected coats and a dog that had been injured with no evidence of receiving veterinary care. Also, he had issues with missing, incomplete and incorrect records and problems identifying some dogs," Okas said in an e-mail. "We gave him the opportunity to correct these problems and request a reinspection. He sent in his reinspection request, but then canceled the day the inspector was driving out to conduct the inspection. Therefore, AKC suspended him. Suspension means he can't register dogs with us."

The Humane Society of the United States also received complaints against Puppy Haven and Havens, according to Kathleen Summers, deputy director of the U.S. society's Stop Puppy Mills Campaign.

"I have had complaints about him from local shelters that say he would discard his leftover breeding stock when they couldn't breed anymore," she said. "He would bring them to the shelters and it was clear they had spent their whole lives in a cage. There were hundreds of dogs on wet floors, freezing with no temperature control in the winter."

Havens, speaking from his home in Kingston, said he sold the Puppy Haven assets to the Wisconsin Humane Society because he is 72 years old and "I'm ready to retire."

"I've been dealing with the Wisconsin Humane Society for years, and they have helped our sick puppies. They are very good about finding them homes," he said. "Some folks are good with dogs and not with people, but the society is nice to people and animals. They don't run us down."

When asked about past complaints about the conditions at Puppy Haven, he said: "Our dogs have been better taken care of than in a home. They have a run and food all the time."

The Puppy Haven dogs will be transported to the Wisconsin Humane Society over several months and will get medical treatment before being put up for adoption. Some of the dogs will be available for adoption in a few days.

The Wisconsin Humane Society is asking for contributions to help pay for the costs of the dogs' care and adoption.