[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 10 (Friday, January 14, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E38]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            HONORING ROBYN DOBERNECKER AS IOWAN OF THE WEEK

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                           HON. CYNTHIA AXNE

                                of iowa

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, January 14, 2022

  Mrs. AXNE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of 
Representatives to join me in recognizing Robyn Dobernecker as Iowan of 
the Week.
  An Iowa native, Robyn has had a passion for animals for as Long as 
she could remember. She got her start as a kennel attendant at age 18, 
working with animals who needed to be adopted. She rose up through the 
ranks and became a senior animal control officer, where she humanely 
took animals off the streets, got them fed and cleaned, and ready for 
adoption. She decided to broaden her horizons and work at a vet clinic 
to better understand animal medicine. Through this, she finally got 
into the Animal Rescue League (ARL) of Iowa, where she is now the 
intervention coordinator and is responsible for confiscating animals 
abused at facilities in the state of Iowa. She is also the official 
point of contact for the rescue efforts for over 500 dogs that were 
confiscated by a puppy mill breeder, who received one of the harshest 
penalties for animal welfare violations in USDA history.
  After getting three complaints about dog abuse in the summer of 2021, 
Robyn decided to investigate. What she found was appalling--animals 
left alone, abused, and neglected. Finding these dogs had little to no 
water, no food, and inadequate shelter, she immediately called the Iowa 
attorney general, whose authorization was required to get into the 
facility and confiscate the animals. With no response, she decided to 
go to the breeder's hearing, where the USDA and DOJ were prosecuting. 
Hearing that the breeder's trial will be delayed, Robyn barged into a 
room of the courthouse full of federal prosecutors for DOJ and said, 
``My name is Robyn, my job is to help animals get out of abusive homes. 
But to do what I do, I need your authorization and for you to get on 
board, and I need a restraining order so I can get ahold of these 
dogs.'' This was on a Friday. On that next Monday, DOJ reached out to 
her and asked if they could work with her to get these dogs out of the 
facility.
  After coordinating with government agencies and other animal rescue 
organizations, she was able to rescue the first round of dogs on 
October 13th. Once the breeder officially surrendered on November 1st, 
Robyn went in with her team and was able to confiscate the rest of the 
414 dogs--she got all of them out over the next two days. This 
difficult feat was catalyzed by Robyn's desire to make a difference for 
communities. To see those dogs' tails wag for the first time and being 
able to hug and kiss the puppies once they were all clean made the 
process of rescuing them worth it. While there is always more work to 
do to counter animal abuse, we can revel in the admirable work it takes 
to rescue those who are in harm's way.
  I am honored to designate Robyn Dobernecker as Iowan of the Week.

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