I-Team

I-Team: Bentley, The Puppy Mill Puppy

Bentley

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I-Team: Bentley, The Puppy Mill Puppy

By John Mercure

We have discovered several puppy mill puppies that are sick, deformed, socially maladjusted. Many of them are just not doing well. On a recent afternoon we went to meet Bentley. Bentley is a Shih Tzu puppy. Bentley lives on Milwaukee's near north side. His owner is Kelly Beauparland. "He likes to be in the middle of everything." Beauparland told me on a sunny afternoon. Like most puppies, Bentley is energetic and enthusiastic. But Bentley is dealing with an issue that most puppies will never have to think about. Bentley, as I discovered, has two hind legs that don't work. "They don't bend. It's like his joints are stiff," Beauparland explained. We'll get back to Bentley and his damaged legs. First a look at the puppy mill where Bentley was born. Puppyhaven is one of Wisconsin's largest puppy breeding operations. Puppyhaven is located north of Madison. Recently we took our hidden cameras inside. And we found dogs in wire cages. And dogs so hyped up that they don't know what to do. Many of the pens are carpeted in feces. This is the environment where Bentley was born. Bentley was lucky. He was rescued. Medical tests can find nothing physically wrong with his legs. But the fact is they don't work. I asked Beauparland if it was possible that part of Bentley's condition is because he was born and raised in a puppy mill. "It's definitely possible because his mother could have been not given the right treatments or care she needed. She could have been over bred," she told me. She went on, "He shouldn't have been in a place like that. He should have been given the care he needs... veterinary care... proper medications." Was Bentley's condition caused by the puppy mill? There's no way to tell for sure. We do know that once he was born, conditions there sure didn't help him at all. State Senator Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) saw our original investigation. She is now working on anti puppy mill legislation. Senator Darling recently visited our TV station and told me, "We don't want to be a state that has, on the top, all of this quality of life, and underneath it all we have some really crummy things going on." Bentley is just trying to get along, trying to overcome the past. "This little guy should be given the opportunity to have a good life. He came from a place where it was so dark," said Beauparland. Senator Darling says she is currently studying other states that have successful, tough anti puppy mill legislation. A bill she is authoring could be introduced late this summer.