Wendy Mulele, who runs local rescue charity, Homeward Bound, added: “Companion animals are not like livestock, they need to be raised in a family setting rather than breeding kennels.
“This application concerns me a great deal.”
However, Fryar said many people did not understand the set-up which entailed breeding labradors and cocker spaniels.
He said: “We work on a dairy farm and have always had working dogs but we wanted to sell just a few of them so we applied to the council for a licence, trying to do everything correctly and above board.
“These dogs are properly bred, with really strict guidelines, and they are gun dogs, involved in outdoor sports, not everyday pets.
“The kennels are huge, state-of the-art and well-maintained. A council official said they were the best she had ever seen.
“There has been a big reaction to our plans on social media, but people outside farming don’t understand what is entailed.”
Planning documents said work started in April 2025 and included building two kennel buildings, a concrete yard, drainage and associated infrastructure.
These would allow expanded dog breeding to generate additional income as part of the diversification of the long-established 500-acre dairy farm.
The new kennels would see breeding increase from one or two litters to about six litters a year, with puppies remaining on site for eight weeks before being sold.
Each kennel block would house about 12 to 15 dogs, with breeding mainly taking place in the summer.
