Claim OwnershipTruth, Lies, and Puppy Mills
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© 2026 Truth, Lies, and Puppy Mills
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We are bringing podcast back!! This will allow our team to go in-depth on the various facets of the puppy mill industry, the issues that advocates across the country face, as well as interviews with industry experts as we all work together to create lasting change for the animals trapped in commercial breeding facilities.
46 Episodes
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This week Alexis and Kristen sit down with our intern/part time employee Clarisse to talk about her passion for animals and how she found our organization! We met Clarisse through the group she volunteered for "Students Helping Rescue Animals".
On this week's episode of "Truth, Lies, and Puppy Mills", join Alexis, Kristen, and Mindi as we chat through the USDA's plan on how they will be cracking down on puppy mills. We talk about what they say, what we think, and what we hope will come of this initiative. We also talk about how our online research will be a crucial tool for the USDA and state agencies as they begin their quest to bring breeders who sell online into compliance. Learn more about what we know about online brokers...
On this week's episode, join Mindi and Alexis as they chat about the release of our NEW directory! This website allows you to see even more of our research at your finger tips. You can search pet stores, online websites, breeders, brokers, and compare your state laws to others! We are proud to be the resource that people have come to trust for the most current and accurate data surrounding the puppy mill industry. To view our new directory, click here: https://directory.bailingoutb...
This week we invite you to tune in and listen to our stream of consciousness as we try to work through some of the harder conversations surrounding pedigrees and breeds! We want to remind people that we always tell you what we absolutely know, and then we tell you what we don't know but think or have opinions on. As we dive into different perspectives on issues like registries, doodles, and consumers, please remember that we bring these issues up and talk through them so we can all cont...
This week Alexis and Mindi chat with Rosie, our part-time assistant research analyst! On top of working 911 dispatch in Des Moines, Iowa and monitoring USDA records for our team, Rosie volunteers for two Shiba Inu rescues. Listen as we talk about rescue missions, creeping from the road, and the heartbreaking side of getting discarded dogs from puppy mills. Rosie also shares her perspective on our field research and how it challenged her to evolve how she works to end this inhumane industry.&n...
The words we use every day matter. They shape perception, they influence behavior, and they have the power to tear someone down or build them up. After taking the time to reflect on puppy mill advocacy and the language we use, our team sat down and started writing down the different ways our own terminology has evolved over the last few years. Join Mindi and Kristen this week as they chat through some of these language changes and then reach out to us to share your thoughts! And Mindi d...
In today’s brief episode, we’re pausing our regular programming to acknowledge the heaviness that so many of us are carrying. At Bailing Out Benji, our work is rooted in research, accountability, and protecting dogs and their families from harm, but today we’re showing up as people before we show up as advocates. This raw episode is a reminder to breathe, to step back if you need to, and to give yourself permission to rest in a world that too often feels relentless. You don’t need to have the...
What if the way we talk about animal welfare is just as important as the policies we fight for? In this episode, we’re joined by Hanna Lentz from SPARC for a candid and necessary conversation about the messaging that happens in the animal welfare world. How everything we say shapes public perception and affects real-world outcomes for animals and the people who love them. We dig into our everyday interactions with the public- the moments that build trust, the moments that shut people down, an...
This week's episode was recorded back in November, but the sentiment remains the same! The times are changing and we are excited to be leading the charge. Sit with Alexis, Kristen, and Mindi as they chat about a few conferences they attended at the end of last year and how the vibe is evolving among advocates. More people are seeing the importance of laying down the swords and working together to create change for animals and the people who love them. Civil discourse with people who don...
HAPPY NEW YEAR and welcome back to Truth, Lies, and Puppy Mills! Join Alexis, Jalaine, Kristen, and Mindi this week as we chat about the impact that we had in 2025 and what our goals are for 2026. With an amazing volunteer team and a world of support, we are ready to be an even more effective voice for all the dogs, cats, and consumers out there. Thank you for being a part of this journey!
Happy Wednesday and thank you for joining us for another week of "Truth, Lies, and Puppy Mills!" Tune in to this very short episode to hear why we are taking a little break from recording and when to expect us back! If you have ever learned from us or from this show, please consider sending a year-end donation over to help us continue our work! https://bailingoutbenji.com/donate/
In this lighthearted episode full of laughter and smiles, we sit down with two members of Bailing Out Benji’s admin who help drive our mission every day: Alexis, our research analyst, and Jalaine, our volunteer coordinator. They share how their roles intersect through the incredible work of our volunteers, what collaboration looks like behind the scenes, and how partnering on presentations has strengthened both their work and their friendship. It's an uplifting peek into the people-powered en...
Last week you heard us talk about the online world of puppy sales and what our team is doing to try and get a handle on it! This week Alexis and Kristen sit down with Ally and Sarah , two of our volunteers who helped jumpstart our online research. Join us as we chat with them about what it takes to find unlicensed breeders online, and what it takes to create a profile to sell online! Thank you for sitting with us this week and please don't forget to send a donation our way: https://bail...
On this week's episode, Alexis, Kristen, and Mindi dig deep into the world of online puppy mills. We talk about the history of regulation and go into the work we are doing to try and wrangle the wild-wild-west of puppy sales. Love this topic? Next week we sit down with a few of our volunteers to talk about what doing this work looks like! Want a Benji shirt? Check out our pop up store here: https://pmapparel.chipply.com/store.aspx?eid=440338
We didn't know what to expect when we opened ourselves up for questions, but we are here to answer all of them- even the tough ones! Join us this week as we wrap up with part two of our Q&A style episode and continue having nuanced conversations about our work and the puppy mill industry. Remember, we aren't here to force you to think like us! We are offering different perspectives and deep conversations about the puppy mill industry, in hopes of continuing to move the needle forwar...
Whoop whoop! Our team has released 30 episodes so far!! Thank you for sticking with us as we found our groove. We have had thousands of listeners tuning in on various podcast apps and several dozen watching each week through Youtube! We are hearing from advocates and volunteers who love the content each week, as well as from people in the pet industry that are curious about how they can participate in the animal welfare conversation. Today's episode is a fun patchwork episode that Jala...
The Daniel Gingerich puppy mill case was one of the hardest cases we have ever worked on. In 2021 we helped shut down the worst USDA licensed dog breeder in history, but it didn’t come without learning some lessons and hard truths. As we come upon the 4 year anniversary of the seizure and rescue of all of the dogs on his property, Mindi and Kristen chat about how laws and regulations often enable problematic breeders to stay in business. We also chat about unlikely allies in this case that co...
Steve, Steve, Steve... We can't seem to keep his name out of our mouths! As TSwift might say, "it's actually romantic" how often we talk about Steve Kruse, owner of Stonehenge Kennels in Iowa- lol- okay maybe not. But in all reality he is just kind of everywhere and he seemingly evades all consequences! The tentacles that this person has within the puppy mill industry would shock you, but that doesn't stop us from trying to hold him accountable every way that we can. In this episode we ...
This week, our admin team sits down and talks about the importance of gathering together with our supporters in person to share our work. Community is extremely important and having connections in our home state and across the country are what make Bailing Out Benji so successful in our mission. Thank you for tuning in this week! Shop for our Paw and Order shirts or other merch here: https://store.bailingoutbenji.com
On this week's episode, Mindi and Kristen discuss our investigation into "California and the Case of the Disappearing Puppies". While this specific research project led to a story with the LA Times and subsequent bills being filed, it also caused some hard discussions with our colleagues about how to best tackle new issues as they come up. Our research found that hundreds of puppies were leaving some of the worst facilities in Iowa only to be delivered to names and addresses that didn't exist...
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