The drama at a Buxton dog kennel raided by authorities last week continued to unfold Tuesday, when kennel owners confronted police in front of their home.

In the week after the raid in which animal welfare workers and police say they seized 250 dogs, the owners of the kennel have denied all of the charges and have accused animal welfare workers of exaggerating the number of dogs at the kennel and the conditions there. The owners have accused police of retaliating against them for a lawsuit they planned to bring against the town.

While some of the kennel owners’ accusations seem far-fetched, such as the suggestion that they are the victims of some sort of statewide conspiracy, there are some important questions that need to be answered. What exactly were the conditions that compelled police and animal welfare workers to undertake the largest kennel seizure in state history?

Animal welfare workers have reported that conditions in the kennel were “filthy” and that some dogs were emaciated, but there have been no reports that dogs were beaten or physically abused. As animal welfare workers continue to test and treat animals, it remains unclear exactly how many dogs were infected with Giardia and Sarcoptic Mange.

There is obviously a history of conflict between the town of Buxton and these kennel owners, but all of the details of that history are not yet clear. The owners met with Buxton selectmen in an executive session to discuss complaints about a former animal control officer. They also say Police Chief Jody Thomas and the town received notice earlier this month that they intended to sue them. Police did not disclose any of this at a press conference held last week to announce the raid, saying only that they had tried to inspect the kennel several times and had been denied access.

The owners, John and Heidi Frasca, had been operating a

kennel in Buxton since 2001. The kennel was licensed until last year, when the Frascas began to run into trouble with both the state and town. State officials said they did not renew the license because of “multiple statute and rule violations” and because authorities were denied access to the kennel. But it’s unclear why these violations prevented them from issuing a license this year, when the Frascas had apparently been in compliance in previous years.

The whole situation appears to be a huge mess that will most likely land everyone involved in court. It was only aggravated Tuesday by the police response to Sen. Lois Snowe-Mello (R-Poland), as she tried to question some of the animal welfare workers. Police came out to the kennel with sirens blaring to make sure Snowe-Mello did not go near any of the state workers.

While animal relief workers obviously have to be allowed to do their job, it would seem much simpler to allow Snowe-Mello to simply ask some questions of one of the supervisors at the scene. A state legislator certainly ought to be able to ask a few questions of state workers on the scene of a raid that has been estimated will cost more than $100,000.

If the welfare of these animals demanded that this kennel be shut down in such a dramatic fashion, then the money and effort will certainly be worth it. But the state and police still have some

explaining to do.

Brendan Moran, editor