This past March, the Missouri Pet Breeders Association (MPBA), which serves as the trade association and lobbying arm for the commercial dog breeding industry in the state, elected a new president - Kevin Beauchamp, operator of Beauchamp's Puppy World.

One month later, in April, Mr. Beauchamp was issued a cease and desist order, license suspension and fined $6,000 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for chronic violations of the Animal Welfare Act.

USDA filed legal action against Mr. Beauchamp for among other things, very thin dogs as well as for failing to provide care to injured dogs.  Beauchamp repeatedly refused to allow USDA inspectors into the kennel. When inspectors eventually gained access to the kennel on May 4, 2016, they found multiple dogs in need of veterinary care. The dogs included two boxers who were very thin with their ribs easily visible, a bulldog with a reddened eye that had a "mass-like lesion" beside it, and a Lhasa Apso who appeared lethargic and appeared to be suffering such severe dental disease that it might be affecting her ability to eat normally.

                       

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