Our unique research into the puppy mill industry has helped drive change across the country in order to enhance the lives of companion animals that exist within the commercial dog breeding industry now and in the future. Through Freedom of Information Act requests, our team forensically audits government health records and inspection records in order to make that information public so the consumer is able to do their research before they buy.
Below you will find a list of some of the research that we have done into some of the nation’s most recognized puppy businesses. Everything that we do can be independently verified through obtaining FOIA requests from governmental agencies across the country. To make it easy, our research is organized by business designation type, state and business name.
The research we do can be very costly but it has proven to be the most effective tool advocates have in order to create change in their communities. To date we have publicly connected more than 75% of the nation’s puppy-selling stores to the puppy mills and commercial dog breeders they buy from.
Please note: We are adding states and stores as we obtain the data, this is not the full list of stores or businesses that sell puppies in the United States! This is a very time consuming and expensive research project that our small team is taking on!
Academic Research
A major focus of our work is our academic research, which analyzes industry trends, regulatory gaps, and the impact of puppy mills on animal welfare, using data-driven approaches to inform policy and educate the public. Our work has been cited by universities, lawmakers, the media, as well as advocacy groups, which only serves to reinforce our role as a trusted resource in the fight against puppy mills.
Field Research
Bailing Out Benji’s field research program involves members of our team collecting firsthand data on commercial dog breeding facilities, brokering facilities, and more in order to get a deeper understanding of the industry we’ve been working to change. We are able to use our experience and knowledge to see the gaps that can occur with licensing, inspections, and enforcement. Our Field Research also takes us into the communities where our teams are actively educating in order for us to connect with the puppy-buying public directly.
If you are interested in donating towards our research costs, click on the button below.
Inspection Record Access: For potential puppy buyers and advocates, accessing the USDA’s inspection records is easy but that isn’t the case for state inspection records. For those states that post their inspections online, we have linked them below.
USDA, Iowa, Nebraska, New York, and Pennsylvania.
In an attempt to be transparent regarding the state of licensed dog and cat breeders in the country, Bailing Out Benji has recently released an online search engine that shows each actively licensed breeder and any associated violations they may have.
USDA Breeder and Broker Research: Our research team audits USDA inspections on a monthly basis and then we release Quarterly Violation reports in order to help the public research before they buy.
Pet Store Research: Click on the states below to view pet stores that sell puppies and which breeding facilities they are sourcing from.
*Please note* These articles take an incredible amount of time to update. While these articles might appear outdated, the information we have in our database on each store is current within the last 6 months.
- Alabama
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Nationwide Puppy-Laundering Scheme and Sham Rescues: In response to the nationwide movement to pass laws against selling puppies in pet stores, commercial breeders are becoming licensed rescues in order to continue selling puppies where it is illegal to do so. Our nonprofit is leading the way on these investigations and enforcement. Learn more about puppy laundering here.
The Nation’s Largest Puppy Brokers: Dog dealers are companies that act as middle men in the puppy selling process. They buy puppies from breeders and resell them to pet stores and erasing any semblance of transparency for the consumer in the process.
Online Puppy Brokering Websites: As the world has moved online, so have puppy sales. Websites claim to have a “no puppy mill pledge”, but they refuse to be transparent about the breeders they source from.
You can also read our research exposing puppy mill transports during Covid-19 here.
The research we do can be very costly but it has proven to be the most effective tool advocates have in order to create change in their communities.
If you are interested in donating towards our research costs, click on the button below.
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Did you buy a puppy and want to learn more about where it came from? Was your puppy sick and you need help filing complaints?
Contact us through the form below and our team will get back to you.