Illinois Pet Store/Puppy Mill Connection

©Bailing Out Benji 2020
All research and information was done by the volunteer team at Bailing Out Benji  and must be cited as such when shared or quoted!
To view the rest of our CVI data, click here. 

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“We don’t buy from puppy mills.”

“All of our puppies come from small, local breeders.”

“We visit every breeder we buy from.”

We have all heard these sentences come from the mouths of pet store owners and their employees. They paint this beautiful picture of puppies running by a pond and parents frolicking in the fresh, green grass… Sadly, 99% of the time that is a bold faced lie. The pet store owners know it, the employees might know it- but the customer is completely in the dark.

This is why we are here.

Bailing Out Benji is a small nonprofit that started in Ames, Iowa and now has volunteer teams all over the country who are dedicated to raising awareness about the puppy mill industry.

Volunteers from Bailing Out Benji devote their free time to researching puppy mills to create puppy mill maps for the worst states, as well as raise awareness about notorious pet stores and breeding operations with huge violations. This includes obtaining CVI data (Certificates of Veterinary Inspections) and making those reports public. To learn more about the puppy mills in your location, you can also go to our interactive website and search engine. 

NOTE:

-Before an animal is transported out of state, a veterinarian, accredited by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), must examine the animal for signs of “infectious, contagious or communicable disease” and, if no disease is found, sign the certificate for approval to transport.

To make this easier, we will be breaking our research down alphabetically by each pet store and connecting them to the various facilities they use. All of this information has come from the Department of Agriculture and the USDA.

All of the breeders listed as associated with the pet stores sold puppies or kittens to them in the years 2020, 2019 and 2018.

For any questions regarding the information presented below, please visit us on Facebook

*Please note* We do not receive documents about the Illinois breeders these stores source from, since CVIs are not needed unless animals cross state lines. If you bought a puppy from an Illinois pet store and want to know more about its origins, please fill out the form below. 

This research can be  extremely costly, please consider making a donation to help us continue exposing the puppy mill industry. Every dollar helps us!

Help Us End Puppy Mills
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Beach for Puppies- 312 Yorktown Shopping Center, Lombard, IL 60148
  1. Jolyn Noethe, JAKS Puppies, Britt Iowa – 233 puppies .  JAKS has also started their own “rescue” in order to lie to the public about not being a puppy mill. You can read that information here.  JAKS was also named one of the worst puppy mills in the country. To see where JAKS Puppies buys their dogs from, click here. JAKS was investigated and sued by the Iowa Attorney General for charity fraud and was ordered to stop their sham rescue in 2020. 

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Furry Babies Chain of Stores. 

3340 Mall Loop Dr Suite 1240, Joliet, Illinois 

703 Stratford Dr, Bloomingdale, Illinois 

2352 Fox Valley Center Dr, Aurora, Illinois 

7200 Harrison Avenue Suite F39, Rockford, IL

  1. Golden Seal Canines. Sugarcreek, Ohio- Large puppy broker in Ohio. 
  2. Herman (Tony) Schindler, QD Kennels, Frankford Missouri- Puppy broker,  126 puppies .
  3. Preferred Canines. Fresno, Ohio- Large puppy broker in Ohio. 
  4. Lorna Dismang, Indian Ridge Kennel. Pleasant Hope, Missouri- 188 adult breeding dogs, 65 puppies.
  5. Kim Ireland. Pleasant Hope, Missouri- not USDA licensed. 

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Happiness is Pets- 15647 S 94th Ave. Orland Park, IL 60462

15 West Golf Rd. Arlington Heights, IL 60005

2936 Showplace Dr. Naperville, IL 60564

616 E Roosevelt Rd. Lombard, IL 60148

  1. Ura Miller. Topeka, Indiana-  55 adult breeding dogs and 38 puppies
  2. Russell T and Jen D Lee , Enos Miller , Winn Dixie Kennel LLC AKA Puppy Tale Kennel. Goshen, IN- 48 adult breeding dogs. 
  3. Ezra L Whetstone. Rome, City, IN- 46 adult breeding dogs. 
  4. Laverne Whetstone. Lagrange, Indiana- 45 adult breeding dogs and 67 puppies. 
  5. Sarah Graber. South Whitley, Indiana- 40 adult breeding dogs and 25 puppies 
  6. Earl Beachy. Lagrange, Indiana- 36 adult breeding dogs and 30 puppies 
  7. Daryl and Regina Miller. Goshen, Indiana- 29 adult breeding dogs and 27 puppies
  8. Michael Weaver. Goshen, Indiana- 24 adult breeding dogs. 
  9. Lyle Hochstetler. Lagrange, Indiana- 13 adult breeding dogs 
  10. Delmar Hochstetler. West Lakes Canine. Wawaka, Indiana- 27 adult breeding dogs and 12 puppies. 
  11. Phil Schlabach. Shipshewana, Indiana- 18 adult breeding dogs
  12. Michael Schlabach. Lagrange, Indiana- 18 adult breeding dogs. 

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King Neptune’s Pet World 707 W Jefferson St, Shorewood, IL

  1. Steven Steele, Heritage Puppies. Lake Mills, Iowa- 358 adult breeding dogs, 130 puppies with a history of violations including numerous breeding dogs with eye illnesses that hadn’t been noticed or treated by a veterinarian.
  2. Jolyn Noethe, JAKS Puppies, Britt Iowa – 233 puppies .  JAKS has also started their own “rescue” in order to lie to the public about not being a puppy mill. You can read that information here.  JAKS was also named one of the worst puppy mills in the country. To see where JAKS Puppies buys their dogs from, click here. JAKS was investigated and sued by the Iowa Attorney General for charity fraud and was ordered to stop their sham rescue in 2020. 

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Noah’s Puppies- 18W435 Roosevelt Rd, Lombard, IL 60148

  1. Polly R and Samuel E Borntrager, Borntrager Kennels. Clark, Missouri- 68 adult breeding dogs and 32 puppies. 
  2. Lorie Hunte-Heaton and Barbara Hubner. Pipestone, Minnesota- 91 adult breeding dogs and 37 puppies. 
  3. Elmer E Yoder Jr. Moberly, Missouri- 37 adult breeding dogs. 
  4. Daniel Miller. Keytesville, Missouri- newly USDA licensed, no inspection reports showing. 

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Patty’s Pups- Gurnee, IL 60031

  1. Alvin and Curvin B Martin, A & E Farm AKA Pine Hollow Farm LLC AKA L&D Farms- 252 adult breeding dogs, 128 puppies. Alvin and Curvin hold separate licenses on the same address. Alvin was named one of the worst puppy mills in the country three separate times due to violations. 
  2. Brian Lichirie, Michele Kruse and Gealea Nichols. T&M Enterprises. West Point, Iowa- 84 adult breeding dogs, 434 puppies.
  3. Clyde Z Horst, Red Barn Kennel. Stanley, Wisconsin- 83 adult breeding dogs, 59 puppies. 
  4. John Nolt, J & A Acres Llc. Withee, Wisconsin- 122 adult breeding dogs, 82 puppies. 
  5. Ella Mae Brubaker, Northwood Kennel. Thorp, Wisconsin- 114 adult breeding dogs, 45 puppies. 
  6. Ora and Sara Bontrager. Clayton, Wisconsin- 44 adult breeding dogs, 24 puppies. 
  7. Tom & Carla Steffensmeier, T & C Steffensmeier Kennels. West Point, Iowa- 176 adult breeding dogs, 143 puppies. 

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Pocket Puppies AKA Little Paw Animal ‘Rescue’

2479 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60614

1457 E Palatine Rd, Arlington Heights, IL 60004

  1. Alisa Breedlove, Breedlove’s Unique Kennel. Waynesville, Missouri- 119 adult breeding dogs and 56 puppies.
  2. Barbara Poor, B&J Kennels. Novelty, Missouri- a puppy broker with 19 adult breeding dogs on their property. 
  3. Bob Mackey, TLC Breeds. Sayre, Oklahoma- 253 adult breeding dogs and 82 puppies. 
  4. Brittani and Jesse Hedgpeth, Empire Pets. Iberia, Missouri- 31 adult breeding dogs. The Hedgbeths also own a transport company, Transport Central, with Josh and Kallie Bateman. The Batemans have been named one of the worst puppy mill transport companies in the country twice due to violations. Hedgpeth is also related to Allison Hedgbeth who operates the sham rescue “Mother Dog Rescue” in Iberia, Missouri. 
  5. Debra Marris. Okemah, Oklahoma- is not licensed by the USDA. 
  6. Dorace Burton, Grace Kennel. Lebanon, Missouri- 37 adult breeding dogs and 34 puppies. 
  7. June Kaiser, Doggies Down Under Kennel. Brumley, Missouri- 69 adult breeding dogs. 
  8. Kim Gray. Lebanon, Missouri- 5 adult breeding dogs. 
  9. Larry Harris- Keota, Oklahoma- is not licensed by the USDA. 
  10. Marcee Bryant and John Bryant, Puppy Junction. Seneca, Missouri- 93 adult breeding dogs and 30 puppies. This facility skipped their 2021 USDA inspection. 
  11. Pam Owen. Lebanon, Missouri- 57 adult breeding dogs. 
  12. Pauline Thomas, Nature’s Best Pet Shop. Lebanon, Missouri- 13 adult breeding dogs. 
  13. Rhonda Pope, Pope Kennel. Freeburg, Missouri- 109 adult breeding dogs and 55 puppies. 
  14. Sherri Gillum, Lakeview Kennels. Unionville, Missouri- 42 adult breeding dogs and 27 puppies. 
  15. Susie Reid, Cedar Woods Kennel. Lebanon, Missouri- 56 adult breeding dogs and 28 puppies. 

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Teske’s Pet & Garden- 2423 16th St, Moline, Illinois. (Their other location is: 2395 Spruce Hills Dr, Bettendorf, Iowa) 

  1. Melinda Wiemann, Wie Wag Kennel, Donnellson Iowa- 38 adult breeding dogs, 50 puppies. 
  2. Alicia Krogman. Mt Vernon, Iowa- 15 adult breeding dogs. 

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Below you will find the data on all of the Petland stores in Illinois

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Petland Batavia- 401 N Randall Rd, Batavia, IL 60510

  1. Jake Kruse, K&E Kennels Inc, doing business as Kruse Farm Enterprises Inc. Salem, Iowa- 220 adult breeding dogs and 159 puppies. 
  2. Karen S Buffalohead, KCZ Amazing Pets. Langley, Oklahoma- 28 adult breeding dogs, 22 puppies. 
  3. Lindsey Schwartz AKA Lindsey Forquer, Cammies Country Canines. Salem, Iowa- 71 adult breeding dogs and 50 puppies. 
  4. Stacie Stutesman, ShowMe Puppies. El Dorado Springs, Missouri- 97 adult breeding dogs, 36 puppies. 
  5. Herman (Tony) Schindler, QD Kennels, Frankford Missouri- Puppy broker,  126 puppies .
  6. Ann Miller, Miller’s Kennel. Milan, Missouri- 150 adult breeding dogs, 61 puppies. 
  7. Mark and Gina Steffensmeier, MG Cattle Inc. Salem, Iowa- Puppy Broker with 20 puppies at the time of last inspection. 

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Petland Bolingbrook- 744 E Boughton Rd, Bolingbrook, IL 60440

  1. Jake Kruse, K&E Kennels Inc, doing business as Kruse Farm Enterprises Inc. Salem, Iowa- 220 adult breeding dogs and 159 puppies. 
  2. Lindsey Schwartz AKA Lindsey Forquer, Cammies Country Canines. Salem, Iowa- 71 adult breeding dogs and 50 puppies. 
  3. Mark and Gina Steffensmeier, MG Cattle Inc. Salem, Iowa- Puppy Broker with 20 puppies at the time of last inspection. 
  4. Herman (Tony) Schindler, QD Kennels, Frankford Missouri- Puppy broker,  126 puppies .

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Petland Chicago Ridge- 110 Commons Dr, Chicago Ridge, IL 60415

  1. Brian Mohrfield, Select Puppies AKA Lucky Puppies Co. West Point, Iowa- 73 puppies. Mohrfield also owns Choice Puppies (another broker) out of Goodman, Missouri.
  2. Mattie O and Perry J Bontrager, Cedar Hill Kennel. Dalton, Wisconsin- 77 adult breeding dogs, 21 puppies. 
  3. David Brown and Kim Parsons, First Class Puppies.  Formerly owned by Becky and Guy Franks. Bluejacket, Oklahoma- 33 puppies and was named one of the worst puppy mills in the country. 
  4. Herman (Tony) Schindler, QD Kennels, Frankford Missouri- Puppy broker,  126 puppies .
  5. Curt and Lori Conrad, Conrad’s Cuddly Canine’s. Frankford, Missouri- Broker, 94 puppies. 

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Petland Crystal Lake- 6126 Northwest Hwy, Crystal Lake, IL 60014

  1. Lindsey Schwartz AKA Lindsey Forquer, Cammies Country Canines. Salem, Iowa- 71 adult breeding dogs and 50 puppies. 
  2. Mark and Gina Steffensmeier, MG Cattle Inc. Salem, Iowa- Puppy Broker with 20 puppies at the time of last inspection. 
  3. Herman (Tony) Schindler, QD Kennels, Frankford Missouri- Puppy broker,  126 puppies .

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Petland Hoffman Estates- 11 Golf Center, Hoffman Estates, IL 60169

  1. Jake Kruse, K&E Kennels Inc, doing business as Kruse Farm Enterprises Inc. Salem, Iowa- 220 adult breeding dogs and 159 puppies. 
  2. Mark and Gina Steffensmeier, MG Cattle Inc. Salem, Iowa- Puppy Broker with 20 puppies at the time of last inspection. 
  3. Lindsey Schwartz AKA Lindsey Forquer, Cammies Country Canines. Salem, Iowa- 71 adult breeding dogs and 50 puppies. 
  4. Herman (Tony) Schindler, QD Kennels, Frankford Missouri- Puppy broker,  126 puppies .

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Petland Naperville- 720 Illinois Rte 59 #112, Naperville, IL 60540

  1. Sandra Hudson. Harrison, Arkansas- not USDA licensed. 
  2. Brian Mohrfield, Select Puppies AKA Lucky Puppies Co. West Point, Iowa- 73 puppies. Mohrfield also owns Choice Puppies (another broker) out of Goodman, Missouri.
  3. Becky and Guy Franks. Bluejacket, Oklahoma- 33 puppies and was named one of the worst puppy mills in the country. 
  4. Samuel and Mahlone Beachy, Clark Missouri- 84 adult breeding dogs and 54 puppies.
  5. Curt and Lori Conrad, Conrad’s Cuddly Canine’s. Frankford, Missouri- Broker, 94 puppies. 
  6. Daniel M Gingerich. Clark, Missouri- 60 adult breeding dogs, 30 puppies. 
  7. Herman (Tony) Schindler, QD Kennels, Frankford Missouri- Puppy broker,  126 puppies .

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Petland Rockford- 7358 Mid Mall Dr, Rockford, IL 61112

  1. Brian Mohrfield, Select Puppies AKA Lucky Puppies Co. West Point, Iowa- 73 puppies. Mohrfield also owns Choice Puppies (another broker) out of Goodman, Missouri.
  2. Herman (Tony) Schindler, QD Kennels, Frankford Missouri- Puppy broker,  126 puppies .
  3. Curt and Lori Conrad, Conrad’s Cuddly Canine’s. Frankford, Missouri- Broker, 94 puppies. 

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Petland Round Lake- 815 E Rollins Rd, Round Lake Beach, IL 60073

  1. Dustin & Jill Westercamp. Farmington, Iowa- 90 adult breeding dogs, 22 puppies. 
  2. Mike and Sharon West, Hillside Kennels. Unionville, Iowa- 61 adult breeding dogs, with a history of violations including: filthy kennels and excessive feces buildup in and around the kennels. 
  3. David and Becky Flanders. South Coffeyville, Oklahoma- 79 adult breeding dogs. 
  4. Steven Steele, Heritage Puppies. Lake Mills, Iowa- 358 adult breeding dogs, 130 puppies with a history of violations including numerous breeding dogs with eye illnesses that hadn’t been noticed or treated by a veterinarian.
  5. Jake Kruse, K&E Kennels Inc, doing business as Kruse Farm Enterprises Inc. Salem, Iowa- 220 adult breeding dogs and 159 puppies. 
  6. Atlee Yoder, Sunset Kennels LLC. Hillpoint, Wisconsin- 76 adult breeding dogs, 55 puppies. 
  7. Ken, Abby, Ty and Sydney Anderson. Arrow Valley LLC FKA Sugar Fork Kennels. Goodman, Missouri- 174 adult breeding dogs, 126 puppies. Under their old license number and previous name, Arrow Valley/ Sugar Fork had a direct violation due to an inspector finding an extremely thin adult breeding dog with very prominent hips and spine, as well as white gums. The dog had not been seen by a veterinarian. In order to hide this violation, they changed license numbers and names. 

STORES BELOW THIS LINE CLOSED PRIOR TO HB 1711 BEING SIGNED INTO LAW

We have kept a list of the breeders they have sourced from in case previous customers are curious. 

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Petland Joliet- 1480 N Larkin Ave, Joliet. Now Closed!! 

According to the CVI reports that we have obtained from the Illinois Department of Agriculture, these are some of the breeders that Petland Joliet has purchased from in 2015. 

  1. Wanda and Harry Bonham. Missouri
  2. Katie and Freeman Detweiler. Missouri
  3. Le Roy and Joseph Detweiler, Sunset Ridge Kennels. Missouri
  4. Chris Nilges, Nilges Kennel. Missouri
  5. Herman Schinderler (Tony) QD Kennel. Missouri
  6. David and Ester Troyer. Missouri
  7. Miriam and Peter Zimmerman, Rocky Ridge Kennel. Missouri
  8. Heritage Puppies, Lake Mills, Iowa- 497 adult breeding dogs with a history of violations including dogs with sick visibly sick eyes that haven’t been treated or seen by a veterinarian.

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Puppy In The Window 1480 N Larkin Ave, Joliet. Now Closed!! 

According to the CVI reports that we have obtained from the Illinois Department of Agriculture, these are some of the breeders that Puppy in the Window has purchased from in 2016. 

  1. Beatrice Birchfield, Birchfield Kennel. Atoka, Oklahoma- 38 adult breeding dogs. 
  2. Donna Brown, Ava Missouri- 517 adult breeding dogs, 219 puppies. 
  3. Katie and Freeman Detweiler, Rocky Ridge Kennel. Jamesport, Missouri- 148 adult breeding dogs. To view USDA photos of the rusty kennels where the dogs live, click here.
  4. Diana Jones, Graceland Kennel. Marshfield, Missouri- 63 adult breeding dogs (down from 117) 
  5. Suzi Livengood. Dixon, Missouri- 156 adult breeding dogs. 
  6. Mildred Parmley, Oklahoma
  7. Debbie Phillips, Long Lane Missouri- 42 adult breeding dogs. 
  8. Jimmy Dowyle Powell, Jimmy’s Hilltop Kennels. Missouri- 68 adult breeding dogs and is one of the 2016 Horrible Hundred Puppy Mills. His violations include: Nursing mother dogs were underweight with hip and rib bones protruding; others had fleas and lesions, dogs with excessive hairless and specifically he inspection report stated that a beagle with five nursing puppies “was noted to have bony prominences, an obvious waist, and loss of muscle mass” with a body score of only 2 out of 9 (5 is ideal). There was no indication that the dog was under treatment for her condition

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** We are still compiling data on the stores above and more stores. Be patient with our progress! **

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*Please note* We do not receive documents about the Illinois breeders these stores source from, since CVIs are not needed unless animals cross state lines. If you bought a puppy from an Illinois pet store and want to know more about its origins, please fill out the form below.  

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For more ways you can help the dogs trapped in puppy mills, click here.

For more information, please visit our main page Bailing Out Benji . We also have educational materials that you can print to hang up in your own area.

 

©Bailing Out Benji 2020

All research and information was done by the volunteer team at Bailing Out Benji and must be cited as such when shared or quoted.

 

Have you purchased a puppy from an Illinois Pet Store? From any pet store?

Fill out the form below and we will help you track down where your puppy was born!

 

This research can be  extremely costly, please consider making a donation to help us continue exposing the puppy mill industry. Every dollar helps us!

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