Buyer Beware: "Dogs to the “Rescue” Ohio

Two-time horrible hundred puppy mill owner starts nonprofit rescue.

©Bailing Out Benji 2020

We all know that puppy mills are shady; really shady. Besides making a living off of the suffering of living, breathing dogs, their job is to deceive the public. No one wants to support a puppy mill. Thanks to organizations like ours, we have made their lives a little harder in both aspects. Especially when it comes to exposing their business practices to the public.

In recent years, it has become a trend for cities and states to pass legislation banning the retail sale of dogs and cats in pet stores from commercial breeders (puppy mills). Instead, these stores must get their puppies from rescues and shelters to help the homeless animals in their communities, as opposed to aiding in the pet overpopulation problem. That sounds wonderful, right? Bailing Out Benji has helped pass countless ordinances across the country on both the city and statewide level and have helped thousands of homeless animals find their forever homes.

Unfortunately- where there is a will, there is a way and puppy mill owners sure have the will to want to make as much money as possible, while doing as little work as possible. Now these puppy mill brokering organizations are turning into 501c3 “nonprofit” “rescues” in order to still sell puppies in towns with retail bans and in order to deceive the public.

Our investigations into two sham rescues in Iowa ( Hobo K9 Rescue and Rescue Pets Iowa ) led to the Iowa Attorney General shutting them down, and our investigation into a sham Missouri rescue ( Pet Connect Rescue ) led to lawsuits and the passage of a stronger statewide bill in California. Our work is never done, it seems, as every time we help shut down one of these fake rescues, another one pops up.

Meet the IRS nonprofit “Dogs to the Rescue” Ohio owned by Nathan and Sara Bazler, as well as Opal Mustain.

Provided by the IRS

Provided by the State of Ohio

“Dogs to the Rescue” doesn’t have a website, a Facebook page, they aren’t on Petfinder and they don’t appear to be doing rescue work publicly.

Interestingly enough, they have the same address and owners as the two-time Horrible Hundred Puppy Mill “Little Puppies Online” , owned by Nathan and Sara Bazler. The Bazlers also operate “Florida Puppies Online” , “Maryland Puppies Online” and “Georgia Puppies Online” . All are online websites that sell countless puppies to the public, while also offering a storefront location in some states.

Provided by the USDA

Pulled from each of their websites

In both 2017 and 2020, Little Puppies Online and Florida Puppies online were each named one of the worst puppy mills in the country due to violations on the local, state and Federal level. According to information obtained by the HSUS from the Department of Animal Services in Collier County, Florida;

“As of early March 2020, at least 14 puppies had died at the Florida Puppies Online operation in 2019 and early 2020 alone, and the total number of puppies who died between 2017 and early March 2020 was at least 26. Some of the causes of death listed in the records were parvovirus, parasites, hypoglycemia and respiratory infections.”

From January 1, 2019 to September 15, 2020 records that we obtained from the Ohio Department of Agriculture show that over 1,160 puppies left this address and went to out-of-state sellers and buyers. This number does not include Ohio citizens that purchased puppies from any of these sites. The Bazler’s currently hold a USDA broker license ( 31-B-0174 ) , an Ohio broker license ( CB000649 ) and an Ohio rescue license ( CB002A5A ) . Their current USDA dog count is reflected below.

Their two most recent inspection reports had identical violations that show the facility neglected to provide the additional 6inches of space around the body of the dog that the USDA requires.

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In the case of the other sham rescues, they were selling puppies to pet stores in cities that had humane ordinances, in order to try and skirt the local legislation. It appears that the Bazlers are using their nonprofit rescue status to sell ‘damaged’ puppies through their own for-profit businesses.

As of September 25, 2020 , they appear to have two ‘rescue’ puppies on their website.

Photo taken from their website on 9/25/2020

It is unclear at this time how many of their commercially bred puppies are being labeled as rescues in their own stores and on websites.

At the time of this article being published, all of the entities listed have been reported to the IRS and the Attorney Generals in each of their states by Bailing Out Benji. Their associated business licenses can be found below.

IRS: Dogs to the Rescue. 83-1133240

USDA: Little Puppies Online. 31-B00174

OHIO: Little Puppies Online: CB000649 and Dogs to the Rescue CB002A5A

MARYLAND: Maryland Puppies Online/Little Puppies Online: Z18311266

FLORIDA: Little Puppies Online/Florida Puppies Online: 26-4532307

GEORGIA: Little Puppies Online/Georgia Puppies Online: 19140419

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As animal advocates, it is not only our job to continue exposing the shady practices of pet stores and puppy mills, but to continue with educating the public about how to humanely and ethically acquire a pet.

Here are few tips to avoid supporting puppy mills through pet stores.

Is there signage in the store connecting the pet store to a rescue or shelter? Humane pet stores are proud of their rescue partners and would have flyers, business cards and signage pointing out the relationship.
Is the rescue or shelter hosting adoption events at the store? Shelters and rescues jump on the opportunity to host adoption events where the public can meet their adoptable animals face-to-face. Legitimate rescues and shelters would be actively hosting adoption events to ensure their pets are seen and find their forever homes.
Does the rescue or shelter have a Facebook page, website and use pet adoption websites? Legitimate rescues have all of these things. All of them! Fact checking their existence is as easy as picking up your phone and searching for them. But it is up to you to do just that.
Is the rescue in your area? Rescues don’t ship their puppies to other states to get adopted site unseen. And if they do, they aren’t legitimate. If you are in a pet store and the puppies are being sourced from out of state- RUN, don’t walk away.
Are there adoption contracts for the animal and are they fully vetted? Again, legitimate rescues and shelters do not send out unaltered puppies/kittens to be sold to anyone who walks in with money. They also require adoption contracts to ensure the pet is going to a forever family, with a return clause in case it doesn’t work out.

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Bailing Out Benji is a small nonprofit organization that makes big changes with very few resources. Our research is used by the leading animal welfare organizations across the country, because what we do is so unique and important. To make a one time donation or to sign up to be a sustaining supporter to allow us to continue our various programs that expose the puppy mill industry, click the donate button below.