State officials renewed the license of a Boone County dog breeder earlier this year while the man was facing multiple criminal charges of animal neglect.
Now, those same state officials say they are attempting to have the man surrender that license and relinquish the dogs in his care.
Last September, a Boone County sheriff’s deputy was sent to Paris Puppies Paradise in Ogden, a state-licensed dog breeding operation owned by 58-year-old Joel Paris. The deputy was there to conduct a welfare check on a woman who was reported to be missing.
While there, the deputy noticed there were “many dogs” on the property that appeared to show signs of neglect. Representatives of the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship ― the state agency that oversees breeders — were then summoned to assess the animals and conditions inside the facility. Paris agreed to surrender 93 of his 119 dogs.
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Among the animals Paris surrendered was a female poodle that was found to be in heart failure and had a severely distended stomach. The poodle had to be euthanized.
The report of the agriculture department’s visit indicates state officials observed a build-up of feces, hair and grime in both kennel buildings, including the floors, the walls of the kennel buildings and along the edges of buildings in the outdoor runs.
Some of the organic debris appeared to have fungus or mold growing on it, the inspectors observed, and in some areas, the outdoor concrete appeared to be stained with urine and feces.
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One poodle-mix puppy had an untreated injury and had been left overnight in one of the kennel buildings. It was found “tangled in some hanging blankets” the next day, inspectors reported.
An adult golden retriever was observed to be very thin, with a veterinarian scoring its body condition as a 2 on a scale of 1 to 9. The inspector informed Paris that he needed to provide the dog with immediate, same-day veterinary care.
Criminal charges filed, yet breeder’s license renewed
After Paris surrendered many of his dogs, Mindi Callison, founder and executive director of the animal-welfare organization Bailing Out Benji, asked the Boone County sheriff and county attorney to investigate Paris for violations of Iowa’s animal-cruelty laws.
On Oct. 10, 2023, the county charged Paris with three counts of animal neglect with injury and one count of animal neglect resulting in death. In April, after pleading guilty to all four charges, Paris was given a two-year suspended prison sentence and fined $2,145.
Agriculture department Communications Director Don McDowell acknowledged Wednesday that between the time Paris was criminally charged and he submitted his guilty plea to the court, the state agency renewed his license to operate.
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McDowell said the renewal allowed the deparment “the ability to enter the facility, conduct inspections and maintain oversight while the neglect case was pending. … Without a license, (it) lacks the authority to enter into a facility.”
McDowell noted that before the criminal charges were imposed in the case, the department had fined Paris and suspended his license. Paris then became compliant with state regulations, paid his fine and the suspension was lifted, McDowell said.
“Now that he has plead guilty to animal neglect charges, we are working within state law to ensure the dispersal of his dogs and the relinquishment of his license,” he said in an email to Iowa Capital Dispatch.
Callison said Wednesday she understands the need for the agriculture department to keep a breeder licensed “for oversight reasons, but what does it take to revoke a license in the state of Iowa? How bad does it have to be?”
A history of past violations
Prior to the visit last fall, the agriculture deparment inspected Paris’ breeding operation in April 2023. At that time, there was the same build-up of grime noted in previous inspections and during the subsequent September visit.
In January 2023, an inspector made note of the odor of ammonia in all of the buildings at the business as Paris was in the process of cleaning the facility when the inspector arrived. “Appears to be several days’ worth of feces in outdoor runs,” the inspector noted.
On four prior occasions ― in August, October, November and December 2022 ― the agriculture department reported that it had “attempted” to inspect Paris Puppies Paradise but failed. Typically, that indicates an inspector arrived on scene but couldn’t gain entry to the business.
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Last year, police were summoned to the Squeaky Clean Laundromat in the city of Boone, where the owner reported someone had entered the establishment, washed blankets filled with animal waste, and then “left a mess.” This had happened more than once, the owner complained.
“I arrived to find what appeared to be dog waste all over the floors and in the machines,” an officer reported, adding there was a “strong odor of a dog kennel” inside the laundromat. “I also found contaminated water spilled over on several machines and the floor. There were pieces of torn blankets spread throughout the store as well.”
Security-camera footage suggested the suspects were Sara Stanfield ― the missing woman who was the subject of the welfare check last fall — and Paris, police reported. Court records indicate the two were later convicted of trespassing and were each fined $260.
The Iowa Capital Dispatch was unable to reach Paris for comment.
Find this storyatIowa Capital Dispatch, which is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions:kobradovich@iowacapitaldispatch.com.
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