On Tuesday, the zoning board approved a request that will allow a dog breeder to merge with a partner into a larger scale commercial facility. Dozens of protesters gathered outside of the county office building for the meeting, but not all were allowed inside as the proposal passed with a wide majority.

Owner Lavern Whetstone will keep 100 breeding females in the building–he is licensed by the state and the USDA. The battle however is not over yet as a building permit still needs to be approved before ground can be broken on the project.

The property in question in located on Cr. 150N, not far from where Whetstone operates his current facility with 75 breeding dogs.