Indiana Puppy Store Sourcing

©Bailing Out Benji 2021
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 false. 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 2021, 2020 and 2019.

*PLEASE NOTE* We are still combing through the CVI reports and will be adding to this article. Due to the strict laws in Indiana regarding CVIs, not every facility that supplies these stores are listed below. 

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Furry Babies Portage- 6636 US-6 W, Portage, IN 46368

Furry Babies recently relocated to Indiana after the state of Illinois passed a law that prevented pet stores from sourcing puppies from puppy mills. Below is a list of facilities that supplied their Illinois stores. 

  1. Darlene Whitman, O’ My Heart Kennels. Mountain Grove, Missouri- 100 adult breeding dogs and 46 puppies. 
  2. 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 mills in the nation twice. Hedgpeth is also related to Allison Hedgbeth who operates the sham rescue “Mother Dog Rescue” in Iberia, Missouri. 
  3. Golden Seal Canines. Sugarcreek, Ohio- Large puppy broker in Ohio. 
  4. Lorna Dismang, Indian Ridge Kennel. Pleasant Hope, Missouri- 183 adult breeding dogs and 86 puppies.
  5. Melanie Moore and Mike Moore, MAM Kennel . Lamar, Missouri- 126 adult breeding dogs and 58 puppies. 
  6. Preferred Canines. Fresno, Ohio- Large puppy broker in Ohio. 
  7. Tony Schindler, QD Kennels, Frankford Missouri- Puppy broker,  68 puppies.
  8. Rachel Brashears. Elkland, Missouri- appears to be an unlicensed breeder. 
  9. Susie Reid, Cedar Woods Kennel. Lebanon, Missouri- 56 adult breeding dogs and 28 puppies. 
  10. Tiffanie Kurz, Tiffanie’s LLC. Frankford,  Missouri – Large puppy broker with. violations that  include keeping puppies in kennels that are too small. This broker was also named one of the worst puppy mills in the country.
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Happiness is Pets- 1525 US Hwy 41, Schererville, IN 46375

Happiness is Pets recently relocated to Indiana after the state of Illinois passed a law that prevented pet stores from sourcing puppies from puppy mills. Below is a list of facilities that supplied their Illinois stores. 

  1. Daryl Miller. and Regina Miller. Goshen, Indiana- 29 adult breeding dogs and 27 puppies
  2. Delmar Hochstetler. West Lakes Canine. Wawaka, Indiana- 10 adult breeding dogs and 25 puppies. 
  3. Earl Beachy. Lagrange, Indiana- 45 adult breeding dogs and 10 puppies 
  4. Ezra L Whetstone. Rome, City, IN- 69 adult breeding dogs and 25 puppies. 
  5. Michael Weaver. Goshen, Indiana- 24 adult breeding dogs and 17 puppies. 
  6. Laverne Jay Whetstone, Lagrange Enterprises. Lagrange, Indiana- 45 adult breeding dogs and 67 puppies. 
  7. Lyle Hochstetler. Lagrange, Indiana- 13 adult breeding dogs
  8. Phil Schlabach. Shipshewana, Indiana- 18 adult breeding dogs 
  9. Russell T Lee, Jen D Lee  and Enos Miller , Winn Dixie Kennel LLC AKA Puppy Tale Kennel. Goshen, IN- 48 adult breeding dogs. 
  10. Sarah Graber. South Whitley, Indiana- 40 adult breeding dogs and 25 puppies 
  11. Ura Miller. Topeka, Indiana-  52 adult breeding dogs and 33 puppies

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My Puppy FKA Noah’s Puppies- 6434 Calumet Ave, Hammond, IN 46324

Noah’s Puppies recently relocated to Indiana after the state of Illinois passed a law that prevented pet stores from sourcing puppies from puppy mills. Below is a list of facilities that supplied their Illinois stores.

  1. Angela Fields, A+ Pups. Green Castle, Missouri- 69 adult breeding dogs and 49 puppies.
  2. Betty Fetters, Fetters Furry Friends. Novinger, Missouri- 118 adult breeding dogs and 36 puppies. 
  3. Brian Mohrfield, Select Puppies AKA Lucky Puppies Co. West Point, Iowa- 441 puppies. Mohrfield also owns Choice Puppies (another broker) out of Goodman, Missouri.
  4. Cheryl Gray, Cedar Creek Yorkies. Havana, Arkansas- 140 adult breeding dogs and 87 puppies. Gray also has 34 adult breeding cats and 40 kittens. 
  5. Chester Williams and Debbie Williams. Greentop, Missouri- 217 adult breeding dogs and 84 puppies. 
  6. Chrissie Yoder. Madison, Missouri- 59 adult breeding dogs and 44 puppies. 
  7. Clinton Michel and Marlene Michel, Ironbridge Road Farm. Long Lane, Missouri- 75 adult breeding dogs and 32 puppies. 
  8. Daniel Miller and Jonas Miller. Keytesville, Missouri- 21 adult breeding dogs and 15 puppies. 
  9. David Brown and Kim Parsons, First Class Puppies.  Formerly owned by Becky and Guy Franks. Bluejacket, Oklahoma- Puppy broker that was named one of the worst puppy mills in the country. 
  10. David Troyer and Esther Troyer, Troyer Kennels. Clark, Missouri-  70 adult breeding dogs and 53 puppies. This facility has been named one of the worst puppy mills in the country in 2015 and 2014. 
  11. Elmer Yoder Jr, Highway M Kennels. Moberly, Missouri- 46 adult breeding dogs and 37 puppies. 
  12. Jake Kruse, K&E Kennels Inc AKA  Kruse Farm Enterprises Inc. Salem, Iowa- 220 adult breeding dogs and 159 puppies.
  13. Judy Maassen and John Maassen, J. Maassen Inc AKA Adorable Puppy. Rock Valley, Iowa – 208 adult breeding dogs and 71 puppies . Maassen has changed USDA license numbers in an effort to hide from their history of violations including: admitting to shooting dogs as a routine form of euthanasia, swelling between toes from standing on hard wire cages, rusted wire and excessively chewed enclosures. This breeder has been named one of the worst puppy mills in the country. 
  14. Linda Baker, Okie Pets AKA Forever Friends. Kethchum, Oklahoma- 112 adult breeding dogs and 39 puppies. 
  15. Milton Lewis, Rock Hill Dog Ranch. Newport, Nebraska- 223 adult breeding dogs and 136 puppies. This facility was named one of the worst puppy mills in the nation in 2018 due to their severe violations. 
  16. Tom Steffensmeier and Carla Steffensmeier, T & C Steffensmeier Kennels. West Point, Iowa- 176 adult breeding dogs and 143 puppies. 
  17. Tony Schindler, QD Kennels, Frankford Missouri- Puppy broker,  68 puppies.

 

Pet’s Choice- 3712 S Reed Rd, Kokomo, IN 46902

  1. Brian Lichirie, Michele Kruse and Gealea Nichols. T&M Enterprises. West Point, Iowa- 90 adult breeding dogs and 465 puppies.
  2. Brian Mohrfield, Select Puppies AKA Lucky Puppies Co. West Point, Iowa- 441 puppies. Mohrfield also owns Choice Puppies (another broker) out of Goodman, Missouri.
  3. Curt Conrad and Lori Conrad, Conrad’s Cuddly Canines, LLC. Frankford Missouri -Large puppy broker in Missouri.
  4. David Brown and Kim Parsons, First Class Puppies.  Formerly owned by Becky and Guy Franks. Bluejacket, Oklahoma- Puppy broker that was named one of the worst puppy mills in the country. 
  5. Phil Hoover, Show Me Puppies. Memphis, Missouri- 370 adult breeding dogs and 131 puppies. 
  6. Tiffanie Kurz, Tiffanie’s LLC. Frankford,  Missouri – Large puppy broker with. violations that  include keeping puppies in kennels that are too small. This broker was also named one of the worst puppy mills in the country.
  7. Tony Schindler, QD Kennels, Frankford Missouri- Puppy broker,  68 puppies.

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Petland Carmel- 14641 Thatcher Ln #1, Carmel, IN 46032

  1. Brian Mohrfield, Select Puppies AKA Lucky Puppies Co. West Point, Iowa- 441 puppies. Mohrfield also owns Choice Puppies (another broker) out of Goodman, Missouri.
  2. Golden Seal Canines. Sugarcreek, Ohio- Large puppy broker in Ohio. 
  3. Jason Scheetz, Two B Kennels. Fort Madison, Iowa- 157 adult breeding dogs and 188 puppies. 
  4. John R Yoder AKA John Raber, Orchard Lane Puppies. Baltic, Ohio- is a state licensed broker in Ohio.
  5. Karen S Buffalohead, KCZ Amazing Pets. Langley, Oklahoma- 24 adult breeding dogs and 9 puppies. 
  6. Monica Sheeley, South Paw Pets AKA Premium Paws . Neosho, Missouri- Massive puppy broker in Missouri that had 140 puppies at their facility. Has changed their USDA license number several times. 
  7. Preferred Canines. Fresno, Ohio- Large puppy broker in Ohio. 
  8. Tony Schindler, QD Kennels, Frankford Missouri- Puppy broker,  68 puppies.

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Petland Merrillville- 1736 E. 80th Ave. Merrillville, IN 46410

  1. Curt Conrad and Lori Conrad, Conrad’s Cuddly Canines, LLC. Frankford Missouri -Large puppy broker in Missouri.
  2. Steven Steele, Heritage Puppies. Lake Mills, Iowa- 382 adult breeding dogs and 146 puppies.

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Petland Terre Haute- 3341 US-41, Terre Haute, IN 47802

  1. Curt Conrad and Lori Conrad, Conrad’s Cuddly Canines, LLC. Frankford Missouri -Large puppy broker in Missouri.
  2. Jake Kruse, K&E Kennels Inc AKA  Kruse Farm Enterprises Inc. Salem, Iowa- 220 adult breeding dogs and 159 puppies.
  3. Lindsey Forquer, Cammies Country Canines. Salem, Iowa- 71 adult breeding dogs and 50 puppies.
  4. Mark Steffensmeier and Gina Steffensmeier, MG Cattle Inc. Salem, Iowa- Puppy broker in Iowa with 20 puppies on site at last inspection. 
  5. Tony Schindler, QD Kennels, Frankford Missouri- Puppy broker,  68 puppies.

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Posh Puppies- 1347 N 750 W, Warsaw, IN 46580

  1. Southwest Auction. Wheaton, Missouri- Posh Puppies bought puppies from a puppy mill auction several times in 2021. Southwest Auction House holds puppy mill auctions nearly every weekend. 

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Uncle Bill’s – 9411 E. Washington Street , Indianapolis, IN 46229

14061 Mundy Drive Fishers, IN 46038

906 U.S. 31,  North Greenwood, IN 46142

6935 Lake Plaza Drive, Indianapolis, IN 46220

4829 W. 38th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46254

6339 W. Jefferson Blvd., Fort Wayne, IN 46804

 

  1. Tony Schindler, QD Kennels, Frankford Missouri- Puppy broker,  68 puppies.

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*PLEASE NOTE* We are still combing through the CVI reports and will be adding to this article. Not every facility that supplies these stores are listed.

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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 2021

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 those consumers that have bought a family member from any of the area puppy stores, and are wondering about their actual background -please feel free to fill out the form below and we will help you track down where your puppy was born! 

 

 

We are 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.

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