Wild Wind Kennel destroyed by fire

By Caroline Downs

A fire early Tuesday morning at a farm south of Coulee completely destroyed a metal building that housed the office and animals for Wild Wind Kennel, owned and operated by Judy Hansen and Greg Bommelman.

Smoke and flames were reported at 2:31 am. The Donnybrook Fire Department was first alerted to the incident, and the directions given suggested the fire had occurred at an abandoned farmstead in the area. "Someone traveling through the area had seen the smoke, but they gave misleading directions," said Chuck Leet, secretary/treasurer with the Kenmare Fire Department.

Donnybrook volunteers Don Gregoire and Herb Schwede went to assess the situation, assuming the fire would simply need to be monitored because of the fresh snow. However, on their way to the site they believed to be the location of the fire, they saw the smoke at Wild Wind Kennel, which is located in the Kenmare fire district.

Leet said Hansen and Bommelman had to be awakened by the Donnybrook men. "They didn’t even know their building was on fire," Leet added.

The Kenmare Fire Department dispatched two quick-response engines and the pumper unit to the scene, along with nearly a dozen firefighters. "By the time they got there, the place was totally engulfed," Leet said. "There was not a thing they could do."

The 40’ x 40’ steel building, with a 20’ addition for the office, had both a propane heating system and central air conditioning for the comfort of the animals.

Hansen and Bommelman had recently installed new plastic flooring and a watering system in the building, where the animals were housed in chain-link enclosures rather than confined in crates.

The state fire marshal told Hansen the cause of the fire would be impossible to determine because of the high heat that resulted. "I was under the impression [a] metal [building] was safer," Hansen said, "but it was actually made worse by being contained within the metal."

She was still working to assess the damages late last week. "The dogs can’t be insured," she said. "They’re considered non-traditional livestock. The building and contents are, as far as the tools and equipment, but the dogs aren’t and I don’t understand that."

Several of the dogs escaped the flames through "pet doors" in the walls that led to the outside runs. However, 31 litters of puppies were lost, along with all of the Chihuahuas and miniature pinschers and at least half of the kennel’s remaining breeding stock.

"We don’t sell to pet shops," Hansen said. "We sell to one family at a time. We lost 13 puppies that were waiting to go to their new homes. That was pretty horrible. It was exceptionally painful to delete the puppies from the website."

The office space in the building also contained several other pets, including three boa constrictors, two turtles, a parrot, and Hansen’s prize collection of 33 corn snakes in a rainbow of colors.

As Hansen and Bommelman clean up the destruction, grieving for their animals, they also have to care for the 40 dogs that were saved. Some have been moved to an unheated barn, which concerns Hansen. Others are crated and living on the second floor of the couple’s house.

Hansen was uncertain about rebuilding the business. "Greg wants to and has already ordered a building that will be here within 10 days," she said. "He says he’s too young to retire. Right now, I don’t want to rebuild."

The couple had been selling puppies on a small scale when they decided to expand and open Wild Wind Kennel as a business in 1993. The kennel specializes in eight purebred breeds, like beagles, min pins and poodles, and seven hybrid crosses, such as the popular malte poos, schnorkies and cockapoos.

Puppies bred at the kennel have found homes with several local residents and have been shipped to many new owners across the United States, including Alaska, as well as to Canada and Germany.

The kennel’s website at www.wildwindkennel.net has been updated to note the fire’s devastation.