Dog Denied Veterinary Care for Seven Months at Iowa County Puppy Mill; PETA Seeks Criminal Probe

For Immediate Release:
December 3, 2024

Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382

A damning, just-released federal report reveals that a Mifflin operation owned by Ben and Malinda Beiler that churns out puppies for sale was cited by federal officials for denying veterinary care to a dog named Atlas, who had severe dental problems, for approximately seven months. In response, PETA today rushed a letter to Iowa County District Attorney Zachary Leigh urging him to investigate the facility and file applicable charges against those responsible for Atlas’ neglect.

According to the report, on October 15, a federal veterinarian found that Atlas’ teeth were “covered” with tartar and one tooth was loose—and this was after another veterinarian had instructed the Beilers to provide Atlas with dental care in March that had not been scheduled. The federal veterinarian pointed out that “[d]ental problems left untreated can cause dogs to be unhealthy and cause discomfort.” In the same report, he noted that multiple enclosures had broken or dangerously sharp metal edges, that the Beilers had given dogs expired medications, and that they had hauled an approximately 7-week-old puppy to a “swap” and sold her—separating her from her mother and depriving her of critically-needed nutrition and social development. A 2023 report further revealed that the Beilers had no identification tags for the 60 adult dogs at the facility.

“Miserable mills like the Beilers’ deny dogs crucial care and treat them as nothing but commodities to be churned out as cheaply as possible,” says PETA Vice President of Legal Advocacy Daniel Paden. “PETA is calling on Iowa County authorities to prosecute those responsible and urges everyone to adopt their companion animals—never buy from a breeder or pet store.”

PETA is pursuing charges under state law because the federal government doesn’t render relief or aid to animals during its inspections, and these violations carry no criminal or civil penalties.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.

PETA’s letter to Leigh follows.

December 3, 2024

The Honorable Zachary P. Leigh

Iowa County District Attorney

Dear Mr. Leigh:

I hope this letter finds you well. I’m writing to request that your office (and the proper law enforcement agency, as you deem appropriate) investigate and, as suitable, file criminal charges against those responsible for neglecting dogs at a breeding facility operated by Ben and Malinda Beiler at 299 Bromley Rd. in the Town of Mifflin. PETA hopes investigators will visit the facility with a veterinarian who has expertise in canine health and welfare so that they can identify any animals in need of care and opine on the conditions of and for approximately 31 dogs there.

On October 15, a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) veterinarian found that Atlas, a dachshund, was in need of dental care. The dog’s teeth were “covered” with tartar, and one of his teeth was loose. The federal veterinarian discovered that—approximately seven months earlier—a veterinarian had instructed the Beilers to provide dental care to Atlas. However, as of October 15, the suspects had yet to even schedule that care, let alone provide it. As the federal veterinarian noted, “Dental problems left untreated can cause dogs to be unhealthy and cause discomfort.” Also on October 15, the USDA veterinarian found that dogs were exposed to “rough/sharp” edges and points in various enclosures, which “could hurt dogs.”

These findings may violate Wisconsin Statute §§ 951.02 and 951.14. The latter requires that enclosures for animals be “structurally sound and maintained in good repair to protect the animals from injury.”

You may also be interested to know that in October, the Beilers were found to have used expired drugs on their dogs and to have hauled an approximately 7-week-old puppy to a “swap” and sold her. In July 2023, the USDA discovered that the Beilers lacked tags for the 60 adult dogs in their custody.

The USDA renders no aid or relief whatsoever to animals on site, and these reports carry no criminal or civil penalties and don’t preempt criminal liability under state law for neglecting animals. If you’d like to learn more about the agency’s findings, please see the contact information for its office here. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Daniel Paden

Vice President of Legal Advocacy