Oklahomans Not Protected Against Sick Puppies Bought Online

Thursday, October 25th 2007, 9:00 pm

By: News On 6

Wednesday night The News On 6 brought you the first part of our investigation into an online puppy selling operation based here in Green Country. The News On 6 continues its examination of the selling practices of one man and his Okmulgee County business. News On 6 anchor Jennifer Loren reports our state is one of the few left where questionable puppy selling operations are tolerated.

Tamara Thorne is the proud mom of a 1-year-old Rottweiler named Kino. Kino is lucky to be alive after a long battle with parvovirus, a deadly and highly contagious disease. His sister Kina was not so lucky. She had to be put to sleep because of the disease, but only after Tamara spent almost $5,000 and a lot of tears trying to treat it.

"It wasn't helping her anymore keeping her alive, she was just suffering," dog owner Tamara Thorne from Weatherford, Texas said.

Tamara says Kino and Kina were sick when she bought them, and she says the man who sold them to her, Bill Bartmann of B&B Ranch in Okmulgee County, is to blame.

We should note this is not the well-known Bill Bartmann of Commercial Financial Services.

Bill Bartmann of B&B Ranch operates his business by listing puppies on websites where anyone can list puppies for sale. His customers are from all over the country. According to several complaints on consumer websites, like RipOffReport.com, Bartmann's customers had already told him that their puppies were dying from parvo.

Some complaints date back to February of 2006. His customers tell The News On 6 he has repeatedly denied having a problem with parvo and his puppies. When News On 6 anchor Jennifer Loren questioned Bartmann about it in a recorded phone conversation, he finally admitted he's had trouble with his puppies and parvo.

"You just can't control that stuff," Bill Bartmann said to The News On 6â€™s Jennifer Loren in a recorded phone conversation.

"But if you knew that the puppies, more than a year ago, had parvo, and they were in your house, and where you have the other puppies, then you know that the other puppies that you brought into that house would also have parvo virus," News On 6 anchor Jennifer Loren said.

"Yeah, but I mean you can't, you can't, you can't get rid of that stuff Jennifer. I mean you know, that's one reason why we got out of it," responded Bartmann.

Bartmann says he got out of the business after those complaints. But just one day before that phone conversation Bartmann was advertising several puppies on several websites, and meeting with at least one potential buyer. Only these ads were not in his name. In a phone conversation with The News On 6 Bartmann admitted he used fake names.

Using a fake name makes it virtually impossible for people to track the record of his transactions.

Here's his response:

â€œI just, we don't let anybody know our name,â€ Bartmann told The News On 6â€™s Jennifer Loren in a recorded phone interview.

â€œWhy?â€ Loren asked.

â€œJust because, I mean itâ€™s just, it's personal information,â€ Bartmann responded.

â€œIs it because you have a bad reputation for selling sick puppies?â€ asked Loren.

â€œNo! Its not!â€ Bartmann exclaimed. â€œIt's just, I mean you know, you know people, if someone ever gets an animal from you and they threaten you or something, you don't want them using your name, you know what I mean?â€

â€œNo, I guess I don't know," said Loren.

One thing we do know, Bartmann has presented himself as a simple backyard breeder.

"What he made it sound like was that it was out of his house, and it was his own little thing, and it was their own little dog and that was it,â€ said Andrea Abramo of New York, who bought a puppy from a website run by Bartmann. â€œThere was one breed and that was it."

But during our investigation, The News On 6 discovered that's not been the case. Bartmann has been calling people with puppy ads in the newspaper. He bought their puppies for a low price and then presented them online as his own, German-bred championship litter.

"Is that the guy that you sold the puppies to?â€ News On 6 anchor Jennifer Loren asked Rottweiler breeder Robert Rodriguez.

"Absolutely. Sure is. That is him," responded Robert Rodriguez, Rottweiler breeder.

Robert Rodriguez has a female Rottweiler he breeds. He says Bill Bartmann misled him when he bought three of his pups, never mentioning they would be sold online with other unrelated dogs as part of a litter.

"I'm just real careful about who I sell the puppies to, and make sure they're vaccinated, wormed all their paperwork's all up to date,â€ Rodriguez said. â€œYou know and for something, that really angers me."

Rodriguez says he hopes his puppies made it to good homes, free of parvo. But he can't be sure.

A property in Okmulgee County is where Bartmann used to operate his business. But he no longer lives there, the Okmulgee County Sheriff said he's investigated Bartmann three times but never found any violations at the facility. And according to local animal rights advocates, Oklahoma and its lack of laws and regulation is the problem.

"You're really not breaking the law here. Law enforcement usually can do nothing unless there's literally carcasses,â€ Ruth Steinberger of the Oklahoma Alliance for Animals said. â€œThey just are not in a position to be able to act. We have no regulation for high-volume breeders."

And that lack of regulation creates a safe-haven for questionable breeders and brokers. In other states, like Arkansas and California, consumers have protection from breeders who sell a sick animal, theyâ€™re called Puppy Lemon laws. The law gives buyers the right to return a sick or dead puppy for a refund or replacement. The House Agriculture Committee will be meeting in November to decide if more regulation like that is needed in Oklahoma.

We should point out there are many reputable breeders and brokers in the state. To learn how to choose a breeder and what questions you should asks them, click here.

Meanwhile, Bill Bartmann says he is getting out of the puppy business.

Watch the video: Oklahoman Accused Of Selling Sick Puppies Online

WEB EXCLUSIVE: Extended Interview With Ruth Steinberger, Oklahoma Alliance for Animals

Related Story:

10/24/2007 Puppies Bought Online Arrive Sick