Dogs seized in Washington County, Hubertus man gets probation
Colton Brooder
HUBERTUS, Wis. - A Hubertus man charged in an animal mistreatment case, which resulted in nearly 50 puppies being seized, has been sentenced to probation.
Court records indicate 35-year-old Colton Brooder pleaded no contest in July to three misdemeanor counts of operating as a dog breeder or dealer without an operator license. Three animal mistreatment misdemeanors were dismissed as part of a plea deal.
Prosecutors said Brooder told investigators he was working with Operation Bring Animals Home (OBAH), a recognized Wisconsin-based nonprofit, but the founder said that's simply not true.
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"To be my honest, my heart was broken," said Caryn McCollum, founder/director of OBAH. "All I could think about was these dogs and the terror that they felt sitting in the back of this pickup truck."
It all started in September 2022 when sheriff's officials responded to a complaint at a Richfield home. A caller said she had read several Facebook posts from Brooder indicating "that he had over 20 puppies in the bed of his pickup truck and more than 20 puppies in the cab of his truck," according to a criminal complaint. She told investigators she believed he "planned to sell the puppies and was not equipped to care for them."
Deputies went to Brooder's home and spotted a pickup truck in the driveway matching the description given by the caller. The deputy reported "the bed of the truck was not covered, and she observed numerous small dog kennels stacked in the bed of the pickup truck and strapped down." Each kennel contained several puppies.
Looking through the window, the deputy saw more kennels stacked inside the truck, according to prosecutors.
Charging documents said Brooder first drove from his home in Washington County down to Louisiana, where he picked up six puppies. He then went to Texas and picked up some more before driving to Arkansas to pick up a 3-month-old puppy at a gas station. Brooder told investigators there were two more stops in Oklahoma before he drove back to Wisconsin. Along the way, he told people he was working with OBAH.
"He was not," said McCollum.
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Court records show Brooder later admitted to detectives he was not affiliated with OBAH and that he planned to sell the puppies.
The animals were turned over to the Washington County Humane Society for examination and treatment. The good news is that all found new, loving homes after this ordeal – adopted out by the humane society days after they arrived in Wisconsin.