County board approves rezoning for commercial kennel with variances, limits breeding dogs to four

Walton County officials voted to approve a rezoning request that would allow a commercial kennel and breeder to operate at 1343 Cornish Mountain Church Road, subject to variances and operational limits.

The applicant was identified in the hearing materials as owner David Mahon and spoke at the meeting via his wife, Donna Mahan, who described the proposal as "strictly just to breed our labs and sell puppies in under Department of Agriculture rules." Mahan said the dogs live indoors with the family, that most sales would be conducted online, and that the family had a Department of Agriculture inspection report available.

Board members pressed the applicant on capacity and animal-welfare safeguards. Mahan said the household currently has four dogs (one spayed), would not breed more than three litters per dog, and could expand a fenced area if needed. She described routine veterinary checks and recordkeeping required by the Department of Agriculture.

With no public opposition, a board member moved to approve the application as filed while granting the cited variances (including the 500-foot driveway-separation variance) and imposing a condition limiting the number of adult breeding dogs on the property to four. A second was made and the board voted to approve the motion. The board chair said the case will be presented to the Board of Commissioners on Jan. 6 for final action.

The approval at this stage is conditional on the zoning variances and the four-dog breeding limit recorded in the board motion; any additional permits, licenses, or inspections required by state agricultural authorities remain separate from the local zoning decision.