West Earl man pulls bid for dog-breeding kennel in face of vocal opposition

The odds appeared to be stacked against Alvin King on Wednesday night.

The West Earl Township resident, who has been illegally operating a dog-breeding kennel at his home, was set to ask the zoning hearing board to allow him to continue breeding dogs.

Township zoning officer Sara Service had already told King commercial kennels aren’t allowed in his low-density residential neighborhood, and a few dozen people who opposed the kennel had turned out at the zoning hearing to make sure township officials didn’t grant him the permission he was seeking.

West Earl resident Bob Sims, who lives across the street from King’s Amish family, told his neighbor at the hearing, “You are not going to win here.”

King appeared to get the message.

Before his application to continue operating the kennel even came up for a hearing, King withdrew it.

When zoning hearing board Chairman Cory Miller announced that King had withdrawn his application, the room broke out in a rousing round of applause.

“Sadly, it’s all about greed and money,” said Ellen Harter, a volunteer with York County-based Animal Rescue Inc. “That’s what this whole (kennel) industry is. You really need to get a real job.”

King’s 2.15-acre property at 141 Rose Hill Road, adjacent to Oregon Pike, is within 1,500 feet of about 150 homes. The property includes a single-family house, garage, shed, barn, garden and meadow.

King was asking for a zoning variance to continue operating the kennel because, he said, his family has a passion for animals and the dog-breeding operation generates money for the family.

King declined to comment after the meeting.

A standing order from the township requires King to remove the kennel and cease breeding dogs. Information about the size of the kennel and the types of dogs King was breeding was not available Wednesday.

This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.