Truth, Lies and Puppy Mills

It's a tradition to celebrate with fireworks on holidays like Fourth of July and New Years Eve, but that tradition comes at a cost. Every year pets are lost, injured, and even killed after being scared by fireworks. Even in the safety of our homes, fireworks can lead to a terrifying night for our pets and a stressful evening for the family members who try to comfort them. Tune in this week to learn how to handle the firework-riddled holidays safely with scared pets. And if you love fireworks and refuse to let go of the tradition, maybe give this episode a listen with an open mind to find out how you can be a better neighbor.

For over 2 years, Bailing Out Benji has been involved in an in-depth true crime production with Sony and Neon Hum Media for the podcast Smoke Screen: Puppy Kingpin. On June 16, 2022, Puppy Kingpin was finally released!  Listen to our reaction to the podcast and hear why it's a great idea for you to listen to it as well, if you haven't already!

With shelters and rescues across the country overflowing with pets needing homes, foster families are needed now more than ever!
If you ever thought about fostering before but were afraid of getting too attached or were apprehensive about how your other animals might react, then listen to this episode! Most people who foster for rescues have had those exact same thoughts and feelings before getting involved. Listen to our own stories and experiences as we explore the many different ways most anyone can get involved to directly help animals in need.
Become a part of the solution, save lives, and get tons of snuggles along the way! Fostering saves lives and the animals need YOU to be their hero!

Tune in this week to hear all about our exciting announcement!

We are so excited to announce that we are a part of a new podcast from Sony Productions! "Smoke Screen: Puppy Kingpin" is an investigative podcast that peels back the layers of the sham rescue world and exposes the multi-million dollar USDA broker that is profiting. 

Podcast Description: Americans are used to being on the lookout for a scam, but authorities are warning of a new kind of fraud. Puppy Kingpin shines a spotlight on Jolyn Noethe, a secretive businesswoman from Iowa who is accused of laundering puppies much like drug money. Investigative reporter Alex Schuman exposes the scheme and an underground part of the industry bringing us the pets we love. From Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment. Smoke Screen: Puppy Kingpin is available June 16th. 

https://www.ivoox.com/en/coming-soon-puppy-kingpin-audios-mp3_rf_87591197_1.html

Arizona has all the the hallmarks of a typical puppy mill pipeline state: one large puppy mill peddler with big money to fight humane laws, lots of smaller dealers trucking in puppy mill puppies under the radar, lack of enforcement, and a community in need of educational efforts.  There's a lot of work to be done in Arizona, but we're never going to stop fighting and we need YOUR help!  
Tune in this week to learn all about Arizona's puppy mill pipeline and find out what you can do to stop it! 
Arizona's pet store/puppy mill connection can be found here: https://bailingoutbenji.com/puppy-mill-maps/cvi-data/arizona/
Go here to become a Bailing Out Benji volunteer: https://bailingoutbenji.com/how-you-can-help/volunteer/

Our good friends at The Humane Society of the United States just released their 2022 Horrible Hundred Report, listing violations from some of the worst puppy mills in the country. After going through their report we swiftly scoured our own database and released a companion report connecting those Horrible Hundred puppy mills to pet stores across the country who sell their puppies.  
In addition to the Horrible Hundred report release, we also have several ordinances on the verge of passing in cities across the country from Washington to Wisconsin, in addition to a couple of state bills.  Tune in to find out if there is any legislative activity in your area!  
To view the HSUS 2022 Horrible Hundred Report, go here:  https://www.humanesociety.org/sites/default/files/docs/HSUS_Horrible-Hundred-2022.pdf
To view our Horrible Hundred/Pet Store Connection companion report, go here: https://bailingoutbenji.com/2022-horrible-hundred/
To view current active legislation across the country, go here: https://bailingoutbenji.com/legislation
To purchase tickets to our Gala in September, go here: https://secure.everyaction.com/QNKVcMt8VUm_fAGGBv9O4A2
To buy new merchandise to support our work, go here: https://store.bailingoutbenji.com/

This week we are joined by Jessica and Whitney, owners of The Green Spot, a humane pet store in Omaha, Nebraska.

Listen in as Jessica and Whitney describe their success in developing an ethical and humane business model that focuses on giving back to the community and providing education to help customers have healthier, happier relationships with their pets. 

You can find The Green Spot online, here: https://greenspotomaha.com/

Our good friends at Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) released their annual report, ranking states based on their animal protection laws, so this week we are discussing their latest report and how it pertains to the work we do in fighting against puppy mills. Listen in, as we also give a minor update on the Daniel Gingerich case, which emphasizes the need for stronger and more enforceable animal protection laws!
Let us know how your state ranks and tell us how you intend to help elevate your state for next year's ranking!
You can find the ALDF report here: https://aldf.org/article/state-animal-protection-laws-ranked-2021/

We're doing a new thing! This week we discuss our new USDA Violation Reports, which we will be releasing every quarter to bring awareness about all the puppy mill breeders and dealers who had violations on their USDA inspections. So far in 2022 the USDA has issued at least 229 violations to 72 licensees across the country. We have records showing that at least 28 of those facility sell to pet stores. Of the licensees who received violations, several of them have received official USDA warnings. 
Listen in to learn how and why we will be releasing these reports!

View our Quarter 1 Report here: 
https://bailingoutbenji.com/usda-q1/

We are starting to find our "new normal" as in-person conferences and events are happening across the country. Tune in this week to learn about the value advocates will find in attending these events, and how important it is for our small-but-mighty organization to have a strong presence at the Animal Care Expo and other events happening this year. 
Take note of our shared feelings of awkwardness and hesitancy as we all become acclimated to educating about puppy mills in-person again. 

The Animal Care Expo information can be found here: https://humanepro.org/expo

Check out our new Merch store here: https://store.bailingoutbenji.com/

Go here to support us: https://bailingoutbenji.com/donate/