An Amish couple has served the township of Perth East with legal papers as they fight to keep their dog kennel.
Menno and Viola Streicher brought dozens of supporters with them to a township council meeting Tuesday night.
In November, the Streichers’ dog kennel was the target of an attempted shutdown by the township when a bylaw inspector found the kennel to have poor lighting and ventilation, overcrowding and a strong smell of ammonia.
The Streichers say they passed an inspection in June, and haven’t changed anything about their operation since then.
But that inspection in November led to 18 charges of animal cruelty from the Ontario SPCA, and the Streichers asked the township to hold off on any action until January, so they can deal with both groups at the same time.
The Streichers refused to appear on camera due to their Amish beliefs, but family friend Fred Probst told CTV the couple is only trying to get their kennel license back.
“They are very law-abiding people, they just want to get their license back and carry on what they were doing,” he said.
The Streichers call the charges a form of discrimination against their Amish way of life.
Township officials say they cannot comment on the case due to the legal action.
