Truth, Lies, and Puppy Mills

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 s...

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 fo...

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:...

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...

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 participat...

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...

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 sho...

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://sto...

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...

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 tha...

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 reta...

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 advocac...

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 Vol...

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 litt...

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...

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 t...

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...

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...

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 necess...

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: h...

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.  J...

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...

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, a...

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 th...

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:...