Truth, Lies, and Puppy Mills

If you’re worn out by the political ads and mudslinging this season, you’re not alone. In this week's episode, Mindi and Kristen start with how exhausting it is to be told who to hate every time we turn on the TV or listen to the news. We talk about how easy it is to divide people and how hard it can be to bring them together... and how that blends into our work.

Join us for a conversation about finding our way back to treating people like people and finding ways to grow the good, in a world that wants to focus on tearing down 'the others'.

Before you listen, start by reading our latest think-piece, "After I Hit Send".

https://bailingoutbenji.com/after-i-hit-send/

Oh you are in for a treat this week, folks! You get to hear all of our thoughts in completely random order. Okay, maybe not so random! But we are chatting about some new things we are working on, some new business connections, and, OUR NEW WEBSITE! For the first time ever we have a website created by professionals and not just one we've managed to build on our own. By the time this episode goes live, our website should be up! If not then, well, you can wait in anticipation with us :)

We are so grateful that you tune in to our show each week and we hope that our conversations help you see some new perspectives in this work.

Want to view our new website? Click here: https://bailingoutbenji.com/

Want to bid on silent auction items? Click here: https://app.galabid.com/spalloween2026/items

Every October, East Village Spa in Des Moines hosts one of the most relaxing events of the season: Spalloween, an annual fundraiser benefiting Bailing Out Benji. In this episode, Mindi sits down with Cassie Sampson, owner of East Village Spa, and Abby Strong, owner of Auntie Abby's Pet Care, to talk about how this yearly tradition became much more than a fundraiser.

Because Spalloween comes back every year, it has become a place where friendships take root and connections grow, including the one between these three women and the businesses and nonprofit they lead. Together they talk about what it means to be a leader, why it matters to build your business intentionally alongside people who share your values, and how that kind of collaboration creates something worth admiring.

Only 10 tickets remain for this year's Spalloween, so grab yours before they're gone: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/spalloween-2026-for-bailing-out-benji-registration-2000524885786?

Can't make it to Des Moines? Friends near and far can still join in by pre-registering for the silent auction: https://app.galabid.com/spalloween2026/register

What a night! Delicious food, amazing conversation, and fundraising fun- all to benefit your favorite anti-puppy mill nonprofit!

On this week's episode, join the whole office crew as we share highlights from our Gala and talk about why this work is so special to us. Being in a room full of friends and supporters helps us stay on mission and share our work with some of the people who make sure it keeps working!

To view a few of our photos from the evening, click this link.

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Last week members of the USDA, DOJ, HHS, and others gave a surprise press conference to lay out their plan to crack down on puppy mills, animal testing, and dog fighting. The internet had a lot of opinions and so do we! On this week's episode Mindi and Kristen sit down to go through the press release, discuss the press conference, and share what we are working on behind the scenes!

Our research is more important than ever! Please consider making a donation to help us continue our work: https://secure.everyaction.com/NXOnDaCJuEOv7av3C8kAog2

Show notes:

USDA Press Release: https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/press-releases/2026/09/21/usda-announces-actions-marking-new-era-animal-welfare

USDA Press Conference: https://www.youtube.com/live/00WWt8SlTbM

This week we are revisiting an episode we released back in February of this year! Kristen and Mindi sit down after the Westminster dog show to talk about "pedigrees, popularity, and perception". This unplanned conversation focuses on how consumers and every-day people view dogs and view obtaining dogs. We also talk about various industry talking points that often contradict themselves and discuss or not we think doodles will ever be AKC eligible.

Oddly enough, we had this line in the original description: "Also, Kristen pretends that she is above being trendy. But even she bought our latest shirt... Have you?" And it is so timely, because we also released new shirts this month... and Kristen also already bought one!

If you haven't checked them out, look out our Bonfire store by clicking on this link: https://www.bonfire.com/store/bailingoutbenji/

We re-released this episode because we needed a quick break after this year's gala! Your girls are TIRED!

If you missed out on supporting our fall fundraiser, please consider making a donation today: https://secure.everyaction.com/NXOnDaCJuEOv7av3C8kAog2

We are literally DAYS away from our annual Gala at Mainframe Studios in Des Moines on September 19th! Join our whole team for this fun episode as we chat about our favorite things that we are going to feature this year, including a behind-the-scenes look at some of our field research and some really cool silent and live auction items. There is nothing more exciting than being in a room full of people who share the same passion for making the world a better place.

On top of mingling with friends and hearing updates from our staff about our work, our gala serves as our largest fundraising event of the year! If you can't join us in person, we have two ways that you can support from afar!

1. Bid on our silent auction! Many of the items listed can be shipped right to you: https://app.galabid.com/bark-after-dark-2026/items

2. Make a donation from afar! We are doing really big things with limited resources. Every dollar raised goes towards helping us research, educate, and advocate for a future with no more puppy mill cruelty:https://secure.everyaction.com/BsB8fWFzHUyZgCL24SePQA2

Last week we chatted about our Field Research, which is a very small part of what we do. Today we are sitting down and talking about our academic research, which is the fun data work we do that takes up most of our time!

Join Mindi, Alexis, and Kristen as we talk through some of our research and discuss the maps that we have been releasing on social media this month. We also highlight the importance of looking beyond just the USDA licensed breeders if you are studying this world, because there is a lot of information and context that is being overlooked!

Please consider making a donation today and help us continue this important work: https://secure.everyaction.com/aDOnSJF3r0muNQCK0SoEWQ2

On this week's episode of "Truth, Lies, and Puppy Mills", Mindi and Alexis share some details, statistics, and stories from our Field Research trips, seeing as this summer marked 2 years since we were first welcome 'inside'.

This is part of our work takes us into businesses that we've only seen on paper and gives us a deeper understanding of the very industry we are working to fix. By engaging with thought leaders from within the breeding industry, we are better able to see where the gaps in the system are. This knowledge paired with our academic research allows us to suggest better alternatives on the local, state, and federal level that could help end the cruel and inhumane practices often found at puppy mills.

We share these stories and this perspective in order to give others a glimpse into a world they have only seen one side of, in order to help us all become better informed about the work that is being done.

Please consider making a donation to help us continue this important work: https://secure.everyaction.com/NXOnDaCJuEOv7av3C8kAog2

On this week's episode of "Truth, Lies, and Puppy Mills", we discuss a disturbing case out of California regarding a "no-kill", "animal sanctuary" that is currently under investigation for the unthinkable. This facility was getting paid transfer fees to take animals in from desperately overcrowded shelters in order to find them homes- but a large number of the dogs were later found deceased and buried on the property.

This case is heartbreaking and calls into question a larger issue that California is facing. Where are the laws that regulate breeders and rescues? Sit with Mindi, Alexis, and Kristen this week as we touch on this case but talk more deeply about how solutions and laws often miss the mark when it comes to pet overpopulation and animal cruelty.

Here is an update on the rescue case that has been published since we recorded this episode: https://krcrtv.com/north-coast-news/eureka-local-news/humboldt-county-suspends-mirandas-rescue-permits-orders-fortuna-kennel-to-shut-down

Don't forget to support our work by making a donation: https://secure.everyaction.com/NXOnDaCJuEOv7av3C8kAog2

For more than 60 years, Ridglan Farms in Wisconsin bred beagles for research. These dogs spent their entire lives in windowless barns, stacked in metal crates, many subjected to painful "cherry eye" and vocal cord surgeries performed without anesthesia by staff who weren't veterinarians. Undercover footage, whistleblower testimony, and a judge's own finding of probable cause for animal cruelty finally forced a reckoning. Last week the very last beagles- 155 of them, adults and puppies as young as 11 weeks- walked out of that facility and the cages were empty for good.

In this week's episode, Mindi, Alexis, and Kristen take you inside that final removal, sharing what it was like to be on the ground as the last of Ridglan's dogs were rescued.

* Please note * This rescue mission was not organized by us, nor did we have anything to do with the closure of the facility- we were just extra hands that were asked to come in and help.

On this week's episode of "Truth, Lies, and Puppy Mills", Mindi and Alexis sit down to chat about a recent animal seizure that happened at a USDA facility in Iowa. 32 dogs (and a cat and rabbit) were seized by the USDA and Department of Justice after a USDA broker/breeder had multiple violations and two years worth of missed inspections. We talk about the process leading up to a seizure and which jurisdiction covers what in cases of cruelty. We also talk about the larger system that allows this particular facility to keep operating under different managers and how important meaningful laws are when it comes to businesses that handle companion animals.

A few articles we reference:

Steve Kruse connection: https://bailingoutbenji.com/steve-kruse-saga/

PAW Fort Madison: https://pawfortmadison.com/

Jerry Couchman, veterinarian: https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2026/05/14/dog-breeding-veterinarian-is-sanctioned-by-a-second-state-licensing-board/

Don't forget to send a donation to your favorite research team and help us continue our important work: https://secure.everyaction.com/NXOnDaCJuEOv7av3C8kAog2

We say we were on a break, but were we really? Join Mindi and Kristen for this 'junk drawer' episode where we catch you up on everything the BOB team was up to while we weren't releasing episodes of our show! We had a really busy summer and had some enlightening conversations along the way.

Thank you for being here with us this week! We are excited to be back :)

To become a sponsor of our gala, click here: https://secure.everyaction.com/do2sZtCutUe4ZY898EgRhQ2

To buy tickets to our gala, click here: https://secure.everyaction.com/7-lBKZBK6kizrMDU1cHpBg2

Join us this week for a short episode as we share our plans for the summer and announce a short break before season 3! We are working on some big things behind the scenes and we can't wait to unleash them on the world :)

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or LinkedIn to stay up to date on all that is Bailing Out Benji!

On this week's episode, Kristen and Mindi sit down to recap the latest conference we attended! At the end of May, Mindi and Alexis hit the road to attend the Canine Welfare Science Conference at Purdue University, where they met up with a Bailing Out Benji volunteer attending in person while another joined virtually from home.

What happens when animal welfare advocates pull up a chair at tables filled with commercial dog breeders? A lot of listening, a lot of learning, and some surprisingly productive conversations. We talked about rehoming retired breeding dogs, policy and regulation, veterinary care, housing, enrichment, and the future of welfare in commercial kennels. More importantly, we explore what it means to engage with people we don't always agree with in pursuit of a common goal: improving the lives of dogs.

The experience challenged assumptions, opened doors to new conversations, and reminded us that meaningful change often starts by showing up, asking questions, and being willing to listen.

On this week's episode of "Truth, Lies, and Puppy Mills" we chat about the community vaccine clinic that our little nonprofit fully sponsored! We do this annually in partnership with our city shelter, and this year we had a record-breaking year. After the spots filled up within a day, the shelter asked us if we could sponsor twice the amount of animals! This isn't a cost they are able to front, and we know that the need is higher than ever... so of course we said yes!

Beyond that, we give updates on our birthday month and also talk about our upcoming Gala! Tune in for a lighthearted, but important episode and then click on the links below to SPONSOR and get your tickets for our Gala on September 19th!

RSVP here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1071800079357099

Sponsor information: https://secure.everyaction.com/do2sZtCutUe4ZY898EgRhQ2?

Gala tickets: https://secure.everyaction.com/7-lBKZBK6kizrMDU1cHpBg2?

Through our work, we are blessed to be surrounded by amazing people who are doing amazing things for animals (and the humans that love them!)- like Austin and Jodi with the Animal Rescue League of Marshalltown. This dynamic duo has done incredible work in getting their rural shelter noticed by their community and by national organizations!

Tune in this week to hear more about the issues that shelters in Iowa are facing and how innovative solutions can open up the doors for even more community support!

This week, Mindi and Kristen kick off the episode by chatting about our experience with a local company that spent time with us to create videos and PSAs for our social media channels. We've learned a lot about what gets picked up on different platforms the best, and we've also learned to let ourselves look a little silly online (if that means more people see our message!)

This episode evolves into a conversation regarding the latest breeder bust in Missouri and how weird exemptions to laws allow for loopholes to be taken advantage of. In this case, the 'hobby breeder' exemption in a law allowed for a kennel to grow to have more than 80 dogs on the property without having a single inspection. You can read more about that story here: https://www.ky3.com/2026/05/15/volunteers-supplies-needed-after-huge-dog-rescue-newton-county/

We also just announced a TWO THOUSAND DOLLAR match thanks to two incredible families! If you would like to help us reach our goal of raising $15k in the month of May, you can make a gift here: https://secure.everyaction.com/0dQVOHirMU-jZmPplXFC2g2

And our new merch store is live as well: https://www.bonfire.com/store/bailingoutbenji/

Y'all this week we are TIRED! Kristen flew across the country to table at her first ever national conference and then we recorded this one day after she got back (and one hour after our monthly free pet food pantry!) So you are most definitely getting our sharpest thoughts and sweaty selves today :)

Tune into this fun episode where Kristen shares the information she learned while being out in the field! She heard so much from shelters across the country about what they are facing and she shares some of the conversations she was able to have about how puppy mills impact communities differently.

Check out our merch here: https://www.bonfire.com/store/bailingoutbenji/

Make a donation here: https://secure.everyaction.com/0dQVOHirMU-jZmPplXFC2g2

On this week's episode of "Truth, Lies, and Puppy Mills", Alexis, Kristen, and Mindi talk about the recent puppy mill bust in Indiana and how lax laws across the country allow for animals to fall between the cracks. We discuss our research into the recently cancelled licensed breeders and talk about what steps can be taken to make laws more uniform across the country.

To view the news story and details on the Indiana bust, click here: https://www.wane.com/top-stories/humane-fort-wayne-calls-for-repeal-of-paradoxal-anti-puppy-mill-bill-following-rescue-of-43-dogs/

This month is also our anniversary! Please consider making a donation to help us continue our work: https://secure.everyaction.com/0dQVOHirMU-jZmPplXFC2g2