Claim OwnershipTruth, Lies, and Puppy Mills
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© 2025 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.
29 Episodes
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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...
Today we dive head first into the world of rescue. We start off by talking about 'sham rescues', those that are shell companies for the puppy mill industry, and then get into the messy discussion of 'retail rescues'. Retail rescue is a newer term that has been used most frequently by the pet industry to highlight why rescues need more regulation. These are typically rescues that buy puppies or dogs from breeders and then adopt them out for higher prices in their own communities. Join u...
We had SO much to say about the most common puppy mill laws (and their pitfalls!) that we broke this episode into 2 parts! Make sure that you listen to part 1 before diving in. We finish up this two-part episode by discussing sourcing laws, state registries, and shutting down puppy mills with animal cruelty laws! Next week we continue the conversation about laws by discussing sham rescues and retail rescues! In this episode, we mention "The Puppy Kingpin" a podcast that Sony productions...
Sit with us this week as we dive into the most common types of puppy mill legislation that advocates work on! In this two-part episode, we discuss some of the biggest pieces of legislation that has been passed and what the research shows happened after the laws went into effect. We called this episode "laws and pitfalls" because no piece of legislation is perfect and it is up to advocacy organizations to make sure that policy matches the needs of each community. It is also important to ...
We also don't know what Skibidi means (besides everything and nothing?) but we are in it now. Carsten and Gus are here for this week's episode and they tell us all about Bailing Out Benji and the animal welfare world through the lens of (almost) teenagers. These two keep us laughing and have a surprising grasp on some pretty complex issues. Carsten was recently named our "Youth Volunteer of the Year" and will be honored at our upcoming 'Bark After Dark' gala. Both Carsten and Gus have ...
On this week's episode, Jalaine, Kristen, and Mindi sit down and discuss "Kibbles for a Cause"- the newly formed coalition between Central Iowa groups who provide pet food assistance to families! They also take the time to share what every day people can do to help provide pet food to families, without starting an entire new pantry themselves... Beyond that... The episode was a little bit of chaos and a whole lot of fun. Big apologies to our podcast editor extraordinaire, Jalaine, for j...
On this week's episode, Mindi, Kristen, and Jalaine get all dressed up to talk about our Gala! The intent of the episode is to give a glimpse of what the night is like and why we host this kind of event :) We also have many ways that you can support us during the evening in person AND from afar! If you can join us in person, please get your tickets soon, as we are almost to our limit: https://tinyurl.com/BenjiGalaTix If you have a puppy mill survivor that you would like to honor:&n...
On this extremely special episode, Jalaine and Kristen sit down with two of our Wisconsin volunteers who are also published authors! Both Peggy Race ("Deputy Paws and the Puppy Mill Cause", "Desiree, The Music of My Soul") and Molly Weinfurter ("Save Our Dogs") share with us what lead them to write their books and how they used their personal experiences to inspire their work. We talk about the process and what it takes to market a book that you've written! To learn more about Mo...
On this week's episode, we talk about a world where a magic website exists for the public to use in order to avoid puppy mills. Advocates and consumers can type in a name or license number and learn about a breeder's inspection history in order to make informed decisions. According to one TikTok user, magic is the only way something like that could exist. *If only* we had magic. Instead, you get to listen to Alexis, Kristen, and Mindi talk about the totally real and completely cool sear...
On this week's episode, our team sits down to discuss the interview with Devon and highlight some of the ways we have seen progress within the Amish community. Unfortunately, Amish dog breeders are one of the most vilified groups in the country. Often labeled as cruel and inhumane, breeders from the Plain Community have to work twice as hard to prove that their operations are reputable. The comments we hear and read regarding this group of people can be awful and come across as extreme...
In our latest episode, Mindi has a candid phone conversation with an unlikely ally, Devon- an Amish dog breeder who sells puppies to pet stores. Their friendship defies expectations, but is rooted in mutual respect and a shared desire to see the dog breeding industry improve. For the first time publicly, an Amish breeder shares his story, his breeding program, and why he believes change is necessary from within. This powerful exchange challenges assumptions, finds common ground, and pro...
This week, Alexis joins Mindi and Kristen as we continue our conversations about our trips to visit USDA dog breeders and brokers. We share stories about what we've seen and discuss the surprising transparency that we've been given by some of the most notorious names in the business. To view our interactive search engine: https://bailingoutbenji.com/search-engine/ To support our work: https://bailingoutbenji.com/donate/
This week we are taking a break from our field research series to discuss a really important and heavy topic after the animal welfare world experienced an incredible loss last week. A fellow rescuer died by self harm due to the cyberbullying that she experienced from her colleagues. Unfortunately, bullying and harassment occurs very frequently in the animal welfare space and it has got to stop. Join Kristen and Mindi as they discuss the weight of this work and the realities advocates f...
On this week’s episode Mindi and Kristen take a look back at the webinar our team gave last Fall regarding their first trip to visit USDA kennels. The original webinar hosted an audience of inspectors, state officials, animal advocates, dog breeders, dog brokers, pet stores, and more. If you are watching on Youtube, you will see the slideshow with photos. If you are listening via audio, then you will just hear our charming selves talking to you like normal 🙂 Thank you for sitting with u...
This week Mindi and Kristen dive into a topic that we know many people have been anxious to hear about- our USDA kennel visits. This episode serves as a jumping off point for our team as they intend to spend the next several episodes sharing our experience visiting USDA dog breeders and brokers as a part of our Field Research. We ask you to listen to this series with an open mind, an open heart, and the understanding that we are working within an imperfect system in order to create change f...
This week Mindi and Kristen continue their conversation about the lessons they learned at their recent conference. In this episode, they reflect on meeting two different Stephanies who served as important reminders that we must keep reaching the puppy-buying public with our message. They also discuss the importance of treating everyone with kindness and grace- especially those who make choices than we would. To support our work: https://bailingoutbenji.com/donate/ To learn more...
This week, Mindi and Kristen reflect on the conversations they had at a recent conference in Philadelphia. Nonprofit leaders across various fields came together to share their struggles and inspire hope for what the future holds. They also discuss how important it is for organizations to make space for new ideas and opinions if we want to see meaningful change happen. To support our work: https://bailingoutbenji.com/donate/ To learn more about our Gala: http://bailingoutbenji...
It's a full house today! Mindi and Kristen are joined this week by Jalaine and Alexis as we all discuss and reflect on why our volunteers are so amazing and how our grassroots advocacy efforts are very effective on the local level. This fun, 'patchwork' episode was made complete with two zoom interviews with three of our amazing team members! In order to share a glimpse of our volunteer program with you, we are first joined by Lauren from Colorado, who shares what it’s like to protest o...
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