Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Truth, Lies, and Puppy Mills

So much has happened since we released our last episode nearly three years ago! With the addition of new staff, more volunteers, and lots and lots of hours of new research and networking and important conversations, it feels like the perfect time to reconnect with you all. So we're bringing the show back!

In this brief check-in episode, Mindi is here to chat about what to expect as the podcast is reborn. Think of it as Truth, Lies, and Puppy Mills 2.0: some new voices, new stories, and new perspectives, with the same passion for reform and progress as before.

So join us every other Wednesday on your favorite podcast platform, or on YouTube. We can't wait to jump back in!

Hello, new friends and longtime friends :) Thank you for joining us for our first episode back in the podcast space! Today you will hear about Bailing Out Benji's origin story,  how our first protests began, and about how a little documentary changed our world! We might be a small team, but the impact we are having on the commercial dog breeding industry is massive. 

Thank you for sitting in this week and for having a conversation with us :) 

If you would like to support our work, please consider making a donation: https://bailingoutbenji.com/donate/

This week Mindi and Kristen sit down to chat about bringing the podcast back and go over some of the conversations we are excited to have in future episodes. Bailing Out Benji is a few years older since our last podcast and we've learned SO much about the puppy mill industry during the hiatus. We are excited to talk and learn alongside all of you as we set our sights on the future and we focus on the fix. 

Thank you for sitting with us this week! Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review in order to help us reach even more people. 

The link to learn about how to support our free microchip / vaccine clinic, click here: https://secure.everyaction.com/40cAsFdzrE-7WqljzHo-DA2

Last week you heard about how Bailing Out Benji was founded and some of the amazing work that we have done. This week, tune in as we introduce you to the people behind the scenes who keep this nonprofit running! Alexis, Jalaine, and Kristen are integral to who we are at Bailing Out Benji and each play a unique role in what we do. We are excited to give you a small glimpse into different parts of our organization and for you to meet the team! 

Thank you for sitting in this week and for having a conversation with us :) 

If you would like to support our work, please consider making a donation here: https://bailingoutbenji.com/donate/

For questions or comments email: info@bailingoutbenji.com

This week Mindi and Kristen discuss the nuances of working upstream and discuss the various types of organizations that work in the animal welfare space. We talk about our role in educating the puppy-buying public and the importance of investing in prevention before the chaos lands at our feet. 

Thank you for sitting with us and joining in on the conversation! 

Links we discussed in this episode include: 

Harry Eckman's linkedin post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/harry-eckman-45b9a847_youre-standing-by-a-river-when-you-hear-activity-7300177402935001091-1bSL?

Vaccine clinic fundraiser: https://secure.everyaction.com/40cAsFdzrE-7WqljzHo-DA2

general donation link: https://secure.everyaction.com/LT0t7MN4DEOSsBsgg1IC6A2

In this week's episode, Kristen sits down with Alexis to discuss her recent trip to Missouri to volunteer at Humane Lobby Day with our volunteers. Alexis talks about the type of research prep she does ahead of these events and what type of information our teams need to be successful when they have conversations in their communities. Jalaine later joins the podcast to discuss how important our grassroots volunteer reach is and talk about what it takes to get our teams signed up for events across the country! 

Everything we do at Bailing Out Benji is a team effort and we consider you to be a part of that team! Thank you for sitting with us each week and for being a part of the conversation. 

To support our work, please make a donation here: https://bailingoutbenji.com/donate/

To make a last minute donation to our microchip clinic, click here: https://secure.everyaction.com/40cAsFdzrE-7WqljzHo-DA2

The murky world of companion animal regulation: 

This week Mindi and Kristen break down the complicated, and often misunderstood, world of licensing in the animal industry. Do rescues and shelters need to be inspected? Are puppy mills licensed? Why is the state and federal government involved? These two explore how different standards (or lack thereof) create a gray area that the public rarely sees. 

Thank you for sitting with us again this week and for being a part of the conversation! 

To support our work, please make a donation here: https://bailingoutbenji.com/donate/

How many puppy mills are in operation in the United States? 

Did you say 10,000? We bet you said that there were 10,000. That number has been floating around the internet since around 2015 (as far as we can tell) and it is used everywhere! Would you be surprised to hear that this approximation is more of a ballpark guess and isn't rooted in fact or projections based on data? 

On this week's episode of "Truth, Lies, and Puppy Mills", Mindi and Kristen are joined by Alexis for an inside look at Bailing Out Benji's research and what it reveals about the public's understanding of puppy mills. The episode kicks off with real answers from everyday people who were asked “What is a puppy mill?” and “What do they look like?” .

Our team discusses the gap between public perception and reality, including the belief that there are 10,000 puppy mills in the U.S. They also talk about why just telling people where not to get a puppy isn’t enough—and discuss the importance of diving deeper than the slogans to educate the public on how to get a pet without supporting a puppy mill.

Fun fact: Between the recording of this episode and the publishing (roughly one week), the number of breeders we are tracking has greatly increased (including adding an additional 400 facilities with violations). Things change daily, which is why our field has to keep evolving and making sure we are advocating for best practices and meaningful change for animals and the people who love them.

To support our work, please consider making a donation: https://bailingoutbenji.com/donate/

We also have a limited edition t-shirt fundraiser happening right now: https://www.ordergroupwear.com/bailing_out_benji/shop/home

In this week’s episode, we dive into the powerful role that data plays in exposing the truth about the puppy mill industry. Mindi and Kristen speak with Alexis about our quarterly USDA inspection audit and how those reports have evolved since we began them in 2022. We also discuss the due process of it all and what it takes to actually get a license revoked.

Sit down with us as we unpack how Bailing Out Benji collects, analyzes, and uses public records to connect the dots between puppy mills and the places they sell their puppies. When emotions run high and misinformation spreads fast, the facts should speak for themselves- because data doesn't have an agenda.

To view our most recent audit, click here: https://bailingoutbenji.com/2025-usda-q1/

To buy one of our shirts, click here: https://www.ordergroupwear.com/bailing_out_benji/shop/home

To sign up to be one of our volunteers: https://bailingoutbenji.com/volunteer/

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.com/bark-after-dark

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 outside of puppy-selling pet stores- and how these peaceful demonstrations are shifting public perception one sign at a time. Then, Melissa and Rachel from Wisconsin open up about their experiences with tabling events- from setting up educational booths to having tough, eye-opening conversations with the public about where puppies really come from.

Whether you're already active in this movement or just curious about how to get involved, this episode will leave you informed, motivated, and hopeful for change. 

Contact us today about becoming a volunteer: https://bailingoutbenji.com/how-you-can-help/volunteer/

Or about making a donation to support our efforts: https://bailingoutbenji.com/donate/

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 us again this week! 

To view the webinar in full, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFdyojmKZes&t

To support our work, click here: https://bailingoutbenji.com/donate/

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 for the dogs who exist to be bred.

All feelings are valid. But being mean isn’t.

To view our new online search engine: https://bailingoutbenji.com/search-engine/

To donate to support our work: https://bailingoutbenji.com/donate/

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 about our Gala: http://bailingoutbenji.com/bark-after-dark

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 face when we bury ourselves deep within it. This is a sensitive episode and we suggest only listening if you are in the headspace to do so. 

If you are in need of emotional support or if you are experiencing thoughts of self harm, please reach out to the crisis hotline: 988 

To read Mindi's personal experience with bullying, click here: https://bailingoutbenji.com/dogs-not-drama/

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: https://tinyurl.com/2025Survivors

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor: https://tinyurl.com/2025BenjiSponsor

And if you aren't able to attend, but want to participate from afar, please consider making a donation to our Gala fundraiser here: https://tinyurl.com/BarkForBenji

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 Molly and her writings: https://www.mollyweinfurterwriting.com

To read more about Peggy's books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B07GSKXRR7?ccs_id=b49ce8cc-e289-4d14-bb71-788d77c79144

As always, to support our work please consider making a donation: https://bailingoutbenji.com/donate/

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 search engine that we created to help fill some information gaps in the puppy-buying process!  

To view our map for yourself: https://bailingoutbenji.com/search-engine/

To support or attend our gala: https://bailingoutbenji.com/bark-after-dark-gala/

To support our efforts: https://bailingoutbenji.com/donate/

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 extremely threatening. We are working hard to change that. 

Hate has no place at our organization and we won't tolerate it in the spaces that we sit. 

*This is the last official episode of our 'field research' series* 

If you would like to support our work, click here: https://bailingoutbenji.com/donate/

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 proves that progress sometimes starts with an honest conversation. 

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/

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 make sure that we aren't just passing laws and leaving, without studying the ramifications of our legislation. 

In this episode, we discuss "The Puppy Kingpin" a podcast that Sony productions published that covers our early investigative work into California. You can learn more and listen here: https://bailingoutbenji.com/puppy-laundering/

Don't forget, we are a very small organization and every donation matters! Please consider giving back and help us continue our work: https://bailingoutbenji.com/donate/

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 become leaders within our pet food pantry program! Tune in and listen to them share their volunteer stories! 

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 just how messy this truly was. Listeners, just know that we have hours of footage that doesn't make it into each episode because we can get a little * messy * :) 

Everything on our Pantry wishlist is less than $25, if you would like to choose an item or two to send: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/32J89EWBEKXPO/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_3

You can also make a donation directly here: https://secure.everyaction.com/ETtsapRILECTVrUIhSS_ug2

Oh- and if you haven't already planned to come in for our Gala- do ittttttt! We are equally as fun in person: https://bailingoutbenji.com/bark-after-dark-gala/

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 published that covers our early investigative work into California. You can learn more and listen here: https://bailingoutbenji.com/puppy-laundering/

Don't forget, we are a very small organization and every donation matters! Please consider giving back and help us continue our work: https://bailingoutbenji.com/donate/

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 us for a conversation about how puppy mill dogs find their way into rescue and which situations feel a little yucky. 

If you would like to support our work: https://bailingoutbenji.com/donate/

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 talk about one of the most glaring examples of what the public thinks when they picture a puppy mill. We talk about a facility that has dozens of violations (including direct and critical) and has had multiple suspensions, yet still somehow sells his puppies to brokers and pet stores across the country! Sit with us this week as we talk through an extremely frustrating part of our work and let us catch you up on some of the tea :) 

Oh- and don't forget to send a little support our way! Our small but mighty nonprofit is putting in the work to put an end to puppy mill cruelty: https://bailingoutbenji.com/donate/

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! 

As usual-- sit with us to talk about the messy and don't hesitate to get involved in the conversation :) We would love to hear from you! 

To read more about our investigation and the LA times article: https://bailingoutbenji.com/ca-puppies/

To support our work: https://bailingoutbenji.com/donate/

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 could have helped save dogs a lot earlier, had we been open enough to reach out. For those who listened to our first podcast and followed this journey, please sit down and revisit the case, as we look back at it with all of the information that was missing the first time.

When we know better, we can do better. but first we have to acknowledge that there is growth to be had!

*Also, we misspoke during this episode. It was a $100,000 grant.

*Please remember that the discussions we have are our opinions from our lens of work. We are not speaking on behalf of anyone else or organization*