(State) Iowa is again ranked near the top of the list in the annual “Horrible Hundred” tally of states with the most dog breeders and brokers cited by regulators.
The nonprofit Humane World for Animals, formerly known as the Humane Society of the United States, recently published its 2025 installment of its annual Horrible Hundred report cataloging the most egregious regulatory violations as cited by state and federal inspectors of puppy mills.
For the 13th year in a row, Missouri had the highest number of dealers in the report, with 26 different operators listed. Missouri was followed by Ohio, with 16 operators; Iowa, with 12, and New York and Pennsylvania, with 11 each.
More than half of the breeders in this year’s report are USDA licensed, which means they can legally sell large numbers of puppies to pet stores and to online consumers they haven’t met in person. Thirty-eight of the breeders in the report are repeat offenders who have been included in one or more of the 12 most recent reports.
The Iowa breeders and the violations listed in the 2025 report are:
Steve Kruse of Stonehenge Kennel in West Point: In 2024, after two license suspensions and after appearing in seven prior Horrible Hundred reports, this massive kennel was cited for additional violations. Inspectors noted that the inside of four food bowls were smeared with “dried feces or a thick buildup of dark brown organic material.”
Over the years, more than 140 sick or ailing dogs have been found at the kennel. Kruse received a 21-day suspension from the USDA in March 2023, and in 2021 at least 199 dogs were euthanized at the facility.
Brian Lichirie in West Point: Lichirie is licensed to resell dogs bred by himself or by others to pet stores and other outlets. Sales records suggest he is closely linked to Steve Kruse of Stonehenge Kennel and another Iowa breeder, Wuanita Swedlund. A lawsuit filed by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in 2024 alleges the USDA has allowed dealers such as Kruse to “launder” dogs through other dealers, such as Lichirie.
A USDA inspection report dated May 30, 2024, indicates that the agency performed a special inspection to recheck four dogs at the kennel, although the reasons for that are unknown. A February 2025 USDA inspection indicates Lichirie had more than 300 animals at that time.
Wuanita Swedlund of Farmington: In December 2024, USDA inspectors found a number of concerns at Swedlund’s breeding operation, including a heavily matted dog, several dogs with no water, and an enclosure that was “heavily contaminated with fecal material.”
Swedlund’s business was referenced in the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ lawsuit against the USDA after six of Swedlund’s puppies died in the cold and she was neither fined nor penalized. Past violations at Swedlund’s kennel include references to a dog that was able to enter an adjoining enclosure and partially eat a puppy that later had to be euthanized.
Sherry and Steve Akers of Westwind Wheatens in Red Oak: This AKC-inspected breeder failed two consecutive state inspections in 2024. Inspectors reported two limping dogs, and issued violations for 17 heavily matted dogs, a “very strong and nearly overwhelming” odor of animal waste, and unvaccinated animals.
Robin Demmer of Demmer Doodles in Bernard: During a July 2024 inspection, state inspectors cited this business for four violations. Issues included unsanitary conditions and dogs in need of vaccines. The business also appeared to have acquired at least two litters of puppies from Wisconsin with no proof of vaccination.
Julie Krause of The Buttercream Ranch in Algona: In October 2024, inspectors cited this establishment for selling 17 underage puppies and going more than a year with no visit by a veterinarian. Inspectors also reported some dogs had no medical records. Two visits by state inspectors in 2023 were cataloged as “attempted,” indicating no one was present to let inspectors review the business.
Heath ‘Rex’ Meyers of Century Farm Puppies in Grundy Center: Meyers received an official warning from the USDA in March 2025 after incurring a variety of violations in 2023 and 2024. Some of Meyers’ recent USDA violations included a January 2025 violation for rodent feces around dog food.
In 2024, the USDA reported two dogs were in need of veterinary care, including one which had a 5-inch long wound on her side and a 2-inch wound on her neck. The other dog was in such poor dental health that blood was visible in her mouth and she was “reacting painfully,” inspectors said. In addition, some dogs had no water, and inspectors reported unsanitary conditions. Also in 2024, a female bichon was found with two of her toes trapped in the flooring of her kennel. After being freed, the dog was limping.
Beverly and Douglas Prier of Rocky Valley Shelties and Douglas’ Shepherds & Doods in Dyersville: During an inspection in June 2024, state inspectors found multiple violations, including kennel parts that were unsanitary or had sharp areas that could hurt the dogs. Inspectors also reported a lack of records to prove that veterinary care had been provided and that dogs were being adequately tracked when bought and sold.
Terisa Steiber of Rockytopp Kennels in Lansing: USDA inspectors who visited Rockytopp Kennels in August 2024 found five violations. No veterinarian had visited the kennel in roughly 17 months, at least 72 dogs did not have up-to-date examinations, at least 25 dogs were overdue for rabies vaccinations, and conditions were unsanitary, with dirty walls and feeding receptacles. When inspectors tried to visit again in December 2024, they were denied access to the business.
Rhonda Van Der Zwaag of Van Der Zwaag German Shepherds in Hull: In July 2024, Van der Zwaag failed a state inspection due to lack of proof that a veterinarian had visited the facility since September 2022. In 2022, state inspectors found that multiple puppies at this business had died of parvovirus and other causes, highlighting the need for regular veterinary oversight at the property.
Ruthi Wheatley of Wheatley Kennels in Adair: A state inspector who visited Wheatley Kennels in January 2025 noted that “the owner refused inspection [because] non-compliant issues from October 2024 have [not] been fixed,” adding, “I talked with the owner and gave them a two-week plan to move the dogs to a new facility on the property since they are unable to bring the current facility into compliance.”
Despite not being shown around the kennel, the inspector noted that “While parking my car in the drive and going to the residence I observed one dog run approximately 20 feet by 20 feet … that was 90 to 95 percent covered in feces and urine. I told the owner what I saw in the run and she stated that [it] has not been cleaned [due] to the weather and other ongoing projects at the farm. We discussed the lack of ability to bring the facility into compliance and the options for housing areas on the property. The owners have another facility licensed as a commercial kennel on the property they are moving the commercial breeding dogs into and suspending the boarding activity to make room for the breeding animals.”
Terry Yoder of BR’s Dobermans in Riverside: In March 2025, it was reported that 17 dead dogs were found on the property of BR’s Dobermans. Forty-nine dogs were seized, many of them in poor health, after an individual reported acquiring two sickly dogs from the kennel. The kennel had been inspected two months earlier and was deemed then to be in compliance with all regulations.
Between summer 2024 and winter 2025, state inspectors were denied access to BR’s Dobermans on three occasions and were unable to perform any inspections at the site. Earlier in 2024, inspectors reported excessive trash and clutter, mouse feces “present on all surfaces throughout the facility,” enclosures that were “coated in dirt, hair, feces and grime,” bad odors and more.
Photo: A dog at Stonehenge Kennels in West Point, Iowa, as photographed by USDA inspectors in 2023. (USDA photo courtesy of Humane World for Animals)
