A dog trainer specializing in police dogs is encountering pushback from neighbors opposed to the opening of a 40-dog kennel in the Wright City area.Former Belleville police officer Brian Dowdy, owner of Dowdy Dawgs, plans to create a kennel and training facility using existing buildings at 16480 Ranch Road. The property is located between Highway AA and North Stracks Church Road.Nearby neighbors are afraid that dogs bred for aggression could be a threat to their safety and that noise from the facility will be a nuisance. They have appealed a permit for the kennel, the fate of which will be decided at a hearing Sept. 24.Dowdy in August sought a conditional use permit (CUP) from Warren County’s Planning and Zoning Commission, allowing him to use the agricultural property for his business. He said the business has outgrown his property in Belleville, Ill., and that he plans to live at the Ranch Road property where the kennel would be.Along with training and housing dogs, Dowdy said the business includes breeding dogs, meeting with clients for training sessions, selling related equipment and occasionally hosting large seminars. He also said he plans to offer extra kennel space as a dog day care during slow months.The planning and zoning commission approved the CUP for Dowdy Aug. 16, but added a number of restrictions.New dogs being brought to the kennel for the first time have to be unloaded in an enclosed area within the kennel or inside a fence, commissioners said. The kennel is limited to 40 adult dogs, and fencing where the dogs are being trained must be at least 8 feet tall.Commissioners also limited events with more than 30 people to only twice per year, and no night training classes will be allowed.Neighboring property owners are upset with the decision and are appealing the CUP. They are worried about their safety, especially for small children and farm animals, if dogs that are bred to chase down and bite criminals accidentally escape the facility.“If one of these dogs go on a rampage and is not contained, I don’t want to donate one of my grandkids as a business experience for Mr. Dowdy,” said Dan Jordan, who lives nearby on Ranch Road.Jordan’s family, and a neighboring family filed an official protest against the CUP, adding that they are concerned about noise from the kennel and traffic on Ranch Road. Approval for the project has been put on hold until the protest is resolved.Dowdy said neighbors shouldn’t have any safety concerns related to dogs at the kennel.“They’ll be in kennels that are double locked, roofed inside and outside. The outside will be fenced in with fencing 8 feet high with barbed wire,” Dowdy explained.He added that the dogs he selects for training are naturally social, and that neither he nor his police clients want animals that are unnecessarily aggressive. They have to be confident enough to fight if commanded, but otherwise aren’t looking for a fight, Dowdy said.The kennel facility itself will be built to reduce noise coming from inside and will have more soundproofing on the exterior fence, Dowdy said. The dogs also are trained not to bark, so Dowdy believes any noise concern will be minimal.The question of approval now falls to the three-person Warren County Commission which governs the county (not to be confused with the planning and zoning commission). Opponents hope the commission will overturn the CUP, or at least add stronger safety restrictions.Commissioners will hear the protest against Dowdy Dawgs at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 24 in the Warren County Administration Building, 101 Mockingbird Lane in Warrenton.One of Dowdy’s recent clients is the Wright City Police Department. Police Chief Matt Eskew said Dowdy was the trainer who located and trained Wright City’s current police dog.“I’ve been to his (current) training facility several different times during the K-9 training process,” Eskew said. “They have always done a great job of taking extra measures to make sure everybody is safe.”Eskew said the dogs at the facility are well monitored and cared for, but he can understand that neighbors might have initial concerns.“I can absolutely see why there would be some hesitancy to do this, but after I have seen the amount of safety nets that (Dowdy) puts into place, the amount of staff that he pulls out to check on the animals ... I’m not concerned about dogs getting out or anything like that,” Eskew said.

This property at 16480 Ranch Road has been proposed as the site of a kennel and training facility focused on police dogs. Nearby neighbors are seeking to block the proposal.