Mahwah Kennel Went From Doggie 'Country Club' To Site Of Alleged Abuse

MAHWAH, NJ — Geri McAnany was shocked, she says, when she heard last month that the manager of Aranwood Kennel in Mahwah — who trains K9s and has run the kennel since mid-2020 — was arrested on various animal neglect charges.

She is hoping the 37 animals that were removed from the property, according to police, are OK, and she's hoping none of them are animals she took care of during her time living and working there. READ MORE: Animal Control Officer Arrested In Mahwah, 37 Dogs Seized: Police

She also said she was forced out of the kennel during the worst months of COVID in 2020, although she says the bigger story is the animal abuse charges last month.

McAnany said that she ran the kennel with her husband for around 30 years, and lived on the property with her son, who was raised there from the time he was a baby.

The kennel was originally founded by two theater producers in New York City who wanted a place in the countryside to board their animals, she said.

"Arthur and Ann Sachs's Aranwood in Mahwah, N. J., must rank as the Ritz of the dog world," notes a 1971 New York Times story about "country club" for canines.

Arthur and Ann Sachs named the kennel after themselves, "Aran," and added "wood" because it was near the woods.

The couple died within a few months of each other, McAnany says. They had requested that the property be maintained as a kennel. At some point, the person in charge of the estate hired the McAnanys to run it.

They moved in, raised their son there, and took great care of the animals, she says.

"People think it's an easy job to run a kennel," she said. "You need compassion and love. I had repeat clients. They knew I cared."

She said, of the space in the hills, "It's a beautiful kennel. Everybody copied it. That couple was way ahead of their time, what they did."

The number of newspaper stories referencing the kennel, such as "The American Way With Pets" in 1973, is a testament to that.

She said, "I hope [the dogs removed] were not my clients. I loved every one of those animals."

She said that four years ago — in April of 2020, just as COVID was bearing down and New Jersey was losing hundreds of afflicted patients each day — she and her family were given a month to leave, as someone new was getting the job.

She said that home prices had doubled and the family didn't know where to go.

She was able to negotiate to get three months, she says, but didn't think she could win a battle for more.

"I begged and I cried," she said. "After 30 years, how to do you pack and find a home? We had to sell everything we owned. I'm surprised we still like each other after that. I lost my home, my job, and my car, because we used a company car."

And she felt bad about leaving the animals.

"I haven't slept since that story came out," she said.

She didn't want to say where her family lives now, but noted that she just got through breast cancer treatments and is working at Walmart. She'd still like to work with animals, she said.

The Charges

Last month, the kennel's manager, who also serves as the animal control officer in at least two North Jersey towns, was arrested by Mahwah police after two clients found a dog near death in a Dumpster on the property, inside a trash bag.

When police searched the property, they said, they ended up removing 37 more dogs.

A post by a woman on Facebook Wednesday, Feb. 28 says, "This is the dog we found thrown out like yesterday’s trash in a
dumpster at Aranwood Kennel" with two photos of a dog in a trash bag."

Last month, the city of Plainfield wrote in a social media post, "The City of Plainfield and relevant departments are aware of the recent charges against an Aranwood Kennel employee. We're collaborating closely to prioritize our animals' welfare and are staying apprised of the next steps for Aranwood Kennels, including sourcing alternative solutions."

'Night And Day'

A worker at the kennel, reached on Tuesday, said that they will release a statement in a few weeks, implying that the facts will be different than what's been reported so far.

He said he was "helping out" at the kennel for now, and didn't want to give a statement yet.

But when told about McAnany's comments, he had unkind words about how it was run before. He said it has vastly improved.

"It's like night and day," he said.

Meanwhile, McAnany said that anyone found guilty of abusing the animals at the kennel should "get what they deserve."

"It always comes down to money," she said.

READ MORE: Animal Control Officer Arrested In Mahwah, 37 Dogs Seized: Police

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