Wendy Frosland of Moran Township can be described as a dog advocate. She likes caring for dogs so much she has 20 of them in her kennel, some of which were rescued from animal shelters in Mackinac and Luce counties. Stepped up enforcement of local ordinances, however, has caught Mrs. Frosland in a dispute with neighbors and township authorities concerning the number of dogs allowed at a given residence. The result could be the end of 13 years of taking in, training, and finding homes for abandoned animals.

Since she was seven years old, Mrs. Frosland has raised longhaired Dachshunds, and although she no longer shows them, some of the dogs on her property on Old Portage Road remain among the top show dogs in the United States, she said.

Her passion for dogs, however, goes beyond breeding and showing. Mrs. Frosland also works with Mackinac County Animal Shelter and Luce County Animal Shelter by taking in and rehabilitating down-and-out dogs.

“It is my life’s passion to rescue dogs,” she said, “but I don’t just collect them.”

Mrs. Frosland takes in, housebreaks, grooms, and teaches dogs basic obedience. The combined effort, she said, is to make them better candidates for adoption.

“A well mannered animal,” she added, “is much more likely to find a home.”

From 1997 to 1999, Mrs. Frosland’s kennel was the official animal shelter for Mackinac County. She calls her current operation a “fostering service.”

When she originally moved to Mackinac County in 1992, rules governing kennels were lax, she said.

“I approached local authorities to get a kennel permit,” she said. “I was told that a permit wasn’t necessary, but I came from a place where they were required, so I insisted on a large kennel permit.”

The permit allowed Mrs. Frosland to kennel 25 dogs on her property, and she did so for the next 13 years.

During that time, she found homes for approximately 430 dogs and has shared her dog care training methods with Ginger Valentine, who now manages the Mackinac County Animal Shelter.

“I provide motivational training,” she said, which involve physical punishment only in extreme circumstances.

Mrs. Frosland’s kennel is an indoor operation. The dogs are housed in a system of crates inside her two-car garage. They have access to her home and two fenced-in yards, also, but she said most dogs like to stay close to their owners, so they spend much of their time inside with her.

“They are not allowed out until 10 a.m.,” she said, “and they are brought in before 10 p.m.”

For years, Mrs. Frosland housed more than 20 dogs at a time in Brevort Township, and later in Moran Township.

In 2002, Mrs. Frosland sought to renew her large kennel permit, and this is when her problems began.

County officials, she said, told her a permit wasn’t necessary.

“They told me not to bother,” she said. “Such a large kennel license would be too expensive, they said. A 10-dog kennel permit would be sufficient.”

Further, according to Mrs. Frosland, she was told that local laws governing the number of dogs housed in kennels were not enforced.

Jim Durm, Moran Township supervisor, agreed that kennel zoning was not strictly enforced before 2004, but in an effort to keep up with township development standards, board members began examining their zoning ordinance in 2004. They hired private consulting firm GoslingCzubak to help them upgrade zoning laws.

Mr. Durm said that Mrs. Frosland’s kennel in Moran Township was built without the board’s knowledge, yet board members agreed to acknowledge her 10dog permit. Like all Moran Township residents, Mrs. Frosland is also allowed four house dogs of her own. Board members did not, however, agree to allow any more dogs than that.

Mark Spencer, in his role as zoning administrator, notified Keith and Wendy Frosland that they were out of compliance with zoning laws, Mr. Durm said.

Mr. Durm added that he was not aware of the number of dogs on the property until he received a complaint that the noise of barking dogs was excessive. The complaint also stated that one of the Froslands’ dogs escaped and attacked a neighbor’s dog.

The Froslands went to the township planning commission and applied to renew their original 25dog kennel license, but the proposal was turned down, leaving the Froslands six months to comply with the ordinance and find homes for six dogs.

“The commission had to come to a judgment,” Mr. Durm said. “In this case, the reason that the special use permit was denied was based on a neighbor’s complaints, which were based primarily on the noise of barking dogs, and secondarily on the kennel’s smell.”

“Most of my dogs are debarked,” Mrs. Frosland said, “and I believe in running an extremely clean operation. You can come to my house and listen, anytime. It’s not loud. And the house does not smell powerfully of dogs, either.”

Mrs. Frosland also contested the charge that one fo her dogs attacked her neighbor’s dog.

Mrs. Frosland was housing a Greyhound/Boxer mix: a dog which was scheduled to be transported to the Luce County Animal Shelter, she said.

While she was looking out of her window, the Greyhound/Boxer jumped her eight-foot fence and ran off.

“I went right after him,” she said. According to Mrs. Frosland, the Greyhound/Boxer was not dangerous, she was close behind, and she did not see it attack her neighbor’s dog.

“In all my years of kenneling, this is the first incident like this I’ve dealt with,” she said.

Mrs. Frosland plans to contest the commission’s decision. In the meantime, however, she must find homes for six dogs.

“I’ll wait until after Christmas to find places for them,” she said, noting that rash decisions about animal adoptions are often made during the excitement of the holidays.

Mrs. Frosland plans to send a list of the dogs to various adoption services.

Those up for adoption include an Australian Shepherd, a Brittany Spaniel, a five-year-old Rottweiler, and three Dachshunds, which are retired show dogs.

Mrs. Frosland can be reached at 643-6318.