Animal Rescue Director Says Michigan DNR Is Targeting Her in Retaliation Campaign

Kelley LaBonty of the Detroit Animal Welfare Group says repeated inspections, court battles, and permit threats are jeopardizing care for injured and orphaned wildlife.

ROMEO, Mich. – A Michigan animal rescue director claims her organization is facing relentless harassment by the state’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR), threatening the future of one of the region’s largest wildlife rehabilitation centers.

Kelley LaBonty, director of the Detroit Animal Welfare Group (DAWG), says the DNR is attempting to revoke the group’s wildlife rehabilitation permit despite a prior ruling in her favor by an administrative law judge. The nonprofit, based on a 25-acre farm in Romeo, cares for injured, orphaned, and disabled animals, including exotic species and farm animals.

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“We’re so needed in the county,” LaBonty said in an interview. “We get tens of thousands of calls every year to help animals. People want help when a fawn is starving in their yard.”

LaBonty said DAWG is fully licensed by the USDA, Michigan Department of Agriculture, and the DNR, and has never had problems with any agency—except the DNR.

She said the DNR has conducted repeated inspections, filed court actions, and ignored a previous administrative law ruling that found no grounds to revoke DAWG’s permit. A decision from the DNR director in that case is still pending more than a year later. In the meantime, the agency filed a new complaint involving allegations that LaBonty said were already dismissed in court, including the possession of a coyote and feeding wild deer.

According to LaBonty, the ongoing legal battle has cost the organization $90,000 in legal fees and another $40,000 in lost time and wages.

“They’re using taxpayer money to harass a nonprofit,” she said.

LaBonty believes the complaints stem from a personal vendetta and retaliation for her organization’s outspokenness, including efforts to assist starving deer in Clarkston in 2018. She claims most of the inspections are prompted by complaints from another wildlife rehabilitator with a history of legal and mental health issues.

“This individual has sat in front of our farm for hours, yelling and swearing at employees,” she said.

LaBonty also criticized the qualifications of the DNR officers conducting inspections, saying they are law enforcement officials with little to no training in animal care. In contrast, she holds advanced degrees in physiology, anesthesia, and nursing, and is certified in wildlife euthanasia and chemical capture.

“They don’t even understand what they're inspecting,” she said.

Despite the challenges, DAWG continues to operate its onsite hospital and care for hundreds of animals with complex medical needs. The group also recently rescued a puppy burned with boiling water—one of the most heartbreaking cases LaBonty said she’s seen.

While LaBonty said the USDA and Michigan Department of Agriculture have conducted professional inspections with transparency and education, she described the DNR’s approach as hostile and unrelenting.

“I don’t know what more we can do,” she said. “They asked us to build a fence, we did. They asked us to install gates, we did. It’s never enough.”

The Michigan DNR declined to comment for this story. The Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office, which the DNR reportedly involved in some legal proceedings, also did not respond.

LaBonty said the group is calling on lawmakers and the public to support DAWG and demand accountability.

“We’ve stayed quiet for seven years,” she said. “But this is out of control now. We need help.”