©Bailing Out Benji 2021
All research and information was done by Bailing Out Benji and must be cited as such when shared or quoted.
To view the rest of our research, 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.
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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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Fishbowl Aquarium and Pet Mart- 425 Pleasant Street, Fall River, Massachusetts
- Becky Busboom- Dannebrog, Nebraska. Busboom is a dog broker, who sources puppies from various facilities and resells them to pet stores in at least a dozen states. To view which facilities Busboom buys from, click here.
- Julie Johnson, Quenjewel. Murray, Iowa- 23 adult breeding dogs and 32 puppies.
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Pet Express- 1201 Broadway, Saugus, Massachusetts
250 Granite Street, Braintree Massachusetts.
100 Independence Way, Danvers Massachusetts.
- Ron Menning, Wesley Johnson and Stephanie Johnson, Menning Enterprises. Edgerton, Minnesota- 406 adult breeding dogs and 210 puppies.
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Pups Unlimited- 2601 County Street, Attleboro Massachusetts-
- Delmar Loe and Kathy Loe, Loe Kennels. Beloit, Kansas- 85 adult breeding dogs and 48 puppies.
- Kallie and Josh Bateman, “Bateman Diversified”, Puppy Travelers Transport. Neosho, Missouri- This company transports puppies to Florida under many different names. This transporter was named one of the worst puppy mills in the nation, twice.
- Lacey Kauffman, Lindley Creek Kennels. Portis, Kansas- 112 adult breeding dogs and 38 puppies.
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The Perfect Puppy- 13 Taunton St. Plainville, Massachusetts
This store also owns locations in Rhode Island.
- Daniel Gingerich, Maple Hill Puppies. Seymour, Iowa- 1000+ dogs. Gingerich has become known as the worst puppy mill in history. With more than 190 USDA violations in 2021 alone, Gingerich was investigated by the US Department of Justice and shut down due to his crimes against the animals. To learn more about this facility, click here.
- David Martin. New Holland, Pennsylvania- appears to be an unlicensed breeder.
- David Stoltzfus, Williams Run Kennel. Christiana, Pennsylvania- 86 adult breeding dogs and 77 puppies.
- Regina Wanger. Manheim, Pennsylvania- appears to be an unlicensed breeder.
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The Puppy Place- 935 Riverdale Street, West Springfield, Massachusetts
- Debra Pratt, Hakuna Matata Transports. New Sharon, Iowa- Former Horrible Hundred puppy mill owner who had her breeding license revoked, turned transport company. Pratt had 19 pages of USDA violations and auctioned off all of her dogs, many of whom were sick with brucellosis. Now Pratt houses dozens of puppies in her facility before they are transported to pet stores.
- John Henry Miller. Utica, Minnesota- 51 adult breeding dogs and 31 puppies.
- Keith Lengacher. Montgomery, Indiana- appears to be an unlicensed breeder.
- Menno Lengacher. Montgomery, Indiana- appears to be an unlicensed breeder.
- Patrick Fulton, Fulton Enterprises. Alden, Minnesota- large scale puppy broker.
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Laughlin Kennel- 11 Larned Rd, Oxford Massachusetts
According to the CVI reports that we have obtained from the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture, these are the breeders that Laughlin has purchased from in 2016 and 2017.
Before we begin, it must be noted that Laughlin Kennel was listed on the 2017 Horrible Hundred Puppy Mill list because a former employee documented puppies crowded into tiny, stacked cages in basement, as well as consumer complaints.
- Marvin and Joanna Newswanger, Maple Tree Kennels- 331 adult breeding dogs with a history of violations including: cages with holes in wire flooring that are too wide and paws/bodies fall through, top of enclosures covered in hair and wood shaving dust (breeder reported that area is cleaned twice a year), and an ‘abundance of litters’ caused puppies to be housed in feed/bedding storage areas. To learn more about this breeder, click here:
- Levi Graber, Blue Ribbon Puppies. Odon, Indiana- 70 puppies.
- Amos Yoder, Middlebury Indiana- 23 adult breeding dogs.
- Shelli Kershner, Walnut Creek Kennels. Rush Center, Kansas- 171 adult dogs with a long history of violations including: failure to provide safe housing for the dogs and dogs with eye injuries. Kershner was named one of the worst puppy mills in the country in 2014 and she also brokers dogs to pet stores across the country.
- Amanda and Greg Pickett, Pickett’s Puppies. Longton Kansas- 31 adult breeding dogs.
- Audrey Rottinghaus, Wendy Pets. Seneca, Kansas- 64 adult breeding dogs with a history of violations including: dogs with open untreated wounds, dogs with severe dental disease and food receptacles are jagged and full of brown grime. To view USDA photos (beware, they are graphic) click here. This breeder has also been named as one of the worst puppy mills in the entire country.
- Krystal Tangeman (Kitts Pets) also doing business as Derek/Sandra Rottinghaus (R Family Kennel) , Seneca Kansas- This breeder has been in business for many years and operates under various names. What doesn’t change is the serious violations that they incur and the conditions in which the adult dogs are forced to live in, which include: dogs with severe dental problems, rusted cages, sharp points poking into cages, holes in kennel walls, dogs with no identification, dogs with eye issues, dogs with obvious and painful injuries, dogs with missing ears and injured jaws, many of these dogs not having been seen by a vet. To view USDA photos on this puppy mill, click here. This mill has also been on the 2016 Horrible Hundred Puppy Mill list.
- Kelli Hynes, Hays Kansas- Dog Broker who buys from relative (on the same property) Izene Hynes who has 160 adult breeding dogs and a history of violations including: dogs with significant hair loss, scabs, eye discharge, and horrible teeth issues.
- Cindy and Richard Jensen, Neodesha Kansas- 251 adult breeding dogs, with violations including: dogs standing in pools of water without wind/rain breaks. To view USDA inspection photos of this breeder, click here.
- Patrick Fulton, Alden, Minnesota- Changed names and USDA licensee count in 2010. Ships puppies to pet stores all over the country. For more information on Fulton Enterprises, click here.
- Jason Banwart, Liberal Missouri- Cannot find a license.
- Linda Banwart, Prarie View Companion. Liberal Missouri-44 adult breeding dogs.
- Samuel and Polly Borntrager, Borntrager Kennels. Clark, Missouri- 74 adult breeding dogs with a history of violations including injured dogs that were not seen by a vet.
- Daniel Yoder, Clark Missouri- 46 adult breeding dogs.
- Phil Hoover, Show Me Puppies. Memphis, Missouri- 364 adult breeding dogs and over 204 puppies.
- Jason and Marilyn Bixenmen, Circle B Farms. New Cambria, Missouri- 108 adult breeding dogs, with a history of violations including: usage of medications not labeled for use in dogs, expired medications, and unlabeled medications; responsible adult not present to allow inspection.To view undercover footage of this puppy mill, click here.
- Esther and Willard Borntrager, Stagecoach Run Kennels. Brashear, Missouri- 19 adult breeding dogs.
- Kathy Brown, Novinger Missouri- 184 adult breeding dogs with a history of violations including: wet and muddy dogs, dogs standing in water, inadequate shelter for dogs, surfaces covered in algae, and dirty water/food receptacles. To view USDA inspection photos, click here.
- Joyce and Lloyd Spear, Louisburg Missouri- cannot access dog count.
- Tiffanie’s LLC, Frankford MO – Broker with over 229 puppies on their property. Violations include keeping puppies in kennels that are too small.
- Bob Mackey, TLC Breeds. Sayre ,Oklahoma- 209 adult breeding dogs with a history of violations including: rodent droppings, urine accumulating on the floor , and dog food bags chewed up by rodents.
- Tom and Margie Phillips, Margie’s Pets. Hominy, Oklahoma- 59 adult breeding dogs.
- Troy Wedel, Canterbury Tails Pets. McPherson, Kansas- 304 adult breeding dogs, 148 puppies with a history of violations including: dogs with open lacerations, bent and rusted wires poking into kennels, and dogs with cloudy eyes. To view USDA inspection photos, click here.
- Lorilee Thomas, Whiting, Kansas. Lorilee Thomas, Puppies Extraordinaire. Whiting, Kansas- 642 adult breeding dogs and 288 puppies with a history of violations including: dogs with hair loss, wires poking into kennels, excessively long toe nails, evidence of mice, etc. For USDA inspection photos, click here.
- Pinnaccle Pet, Neosho Missouri- 353 puppies.
- RDR Transport Company, Neosho MO- 269 puppies, 5 kittens.
- Samuel and Mahlone Beachy, Clark Missouri- 84 adult breeding dogs with a history of violations including: puppy paws passing through wire flooring, rusty feeders and water receptacles, tall weeds in kennels, growth/tumors hanging from dogs, dogs with eye issues, and green algae in water. To view USDA inspection photos, click here.
- John Miller, TLC Kennels. Sturgeon, Missouri- 42 adult breeding dogs with violations about excessive clutter in and around the dog kennels. To view USDA inspection photos, click here.
- William Borntreger, Bloomfield Iowa – cannot find a license.
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Park Avenue Bird and Pet – 120 W Center Street, West Bridgewater Massachusetts
According to the CVI reports that we have obtained from the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture, these are the breeders that Park Ave has purchased from in 2016 and 2017.
- Paul King, Fountain City Indiana- 36 adult breeding dogs.
- Shelli Kershner, Rush Center Kansas- 171 adult dogs. Also brokers dogs to pet stores across the country.
- Darcy and William Smith, Sparks Kennel. Bennington Kansas- Broker that sells puppies to pet stores all over the country.
- Patrick Fulton, Alden, Minnesota- Changed names and USDA licensee count in 2010. Ships puppies to pet stores all over the country. For more information on Fulton Enterprises, click here.
- Vernon and Kathryn Lambright, Peaceful Hollow Pets. Wolcottville, Indiana- 77 adult breeding dogs, 80 puppies with a history of violations including: dogs with diarrhea in pen, poodle with right eye very inflamed, Pyrenees lame on both rear legs, chewed surfaces in outdoor housing area, and a Bernese mountain dog chained to a dog house.
- Chrissie Yoder, Clark Missouri- 42 adult breeding dogs.
- Hayes Landreth, Eagletown Oklahoma- cannot find a license.
- John Otto, Topeka Indiana- 13 adult breeding dogs.
- William Lambright, Lamar Missouri- 8 adult breeding dogs.
- Reuben Stutzman, Arthur Illinois- 37 adult breeding dogs.
- Paul Johnston, Dixon Missouri- cannot find a license.
- Herman and Dorothy Yoder, McLeansboro Illinois- 100 adult breeding dogs. Dogs being bred in Semi trucks. To view USDA inspection photos, click here.
- Samuel and Polly Borntrager, Borntrager Kennels. Clark, Missouri- 74 adult breeding dogs with a history of violations including injured dogs that were not seen by a vet.
- Daniel D Troyer, Clark Missouri- 33 adult breeding dogs. Was not on the property at the time of last inspection.
- Betty Fetters, Fetters Furry Friends. Novinger, Missouri- 103 adult breeding dogs.
- Angela Fields, Green Castle Missouri- 67 adult breeding dogs with a history of violations including: excessive accumulation of feces, medicine not labeled for dog use, sharp/broken points poking into kennels, and holes in the floors. To view USDA inspection photos, click here.
- Samuel and Mahlone Beachy, Clark Missouri- 84 adult breeding dogs with a history of violations including: puppy paws passing through wire flooring, rusty feeders and water receptacles, tall weeds in kennels, growth/tumors hanging from dogs, dogs with eye issues, and green algae in water. To view USDA inspection photos, click here.
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Stores below this line have closed.
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Fin Fur and Feather- 409 Columbia Road, Hanover Massachusetts: closed.
According to the CVI reports that we have obtained from the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture, these are the breeders that Fin Fur and Feather has purchased from in 2016 and 2017.
- Krystal Tangeman (Kitts Pets) also doing business as Derek/Sandra Rottinghaus (R Family Kennel) , Seneca Kansas- This breeder has been in business for many years and operates under various names. What doesn’t change is the serious violations that they incur and the conditions in which the adult dogs are forced to live in, which include: dogs with severe dental problems, rusted cages, sharp points poking into cages, holes in kennel walls, dogs with no identification, dogs with eye issues, dogs with obvious and painful injuries, dogs with missing ears and injured jaws, many of these dogs not having been seen by a vet. To view USDA photos on this puppy mill, click here. This mill has also been on the 2016 Horrible Hundred Puppy Mill list.
- Audrey Rottinghaus, Wendy Pets. Seneca, Kansas- 64 adult breeding dogs with a history of violations including: dogs with open untreated wounds, dogs with severe dental disease and food receptacles are jagged and full of brown grime. To view USDA photos (beware, they are graphic) click here. This breeder has also been named as one of the worst puppy mills in the entire country.
- Becky Busboom, Dannebrog, Nebraska. Dog Broker with a history of violations, including using pig medications on puppies.To view which puppy mills Busboom buys from, click here.
- John Gingerich, Falcon Acres. Arthur,Illinois- Down to 9 adult breeding dogs from 62 earlier this year.
- Aaron Stoll, Loogootee Indiana- 76 adult breeding dogs.
- Ruben Stutzman, Backwood Acres. Arcola, Illinois- 37 adult breeding dogs.
- Marvin and Joanna Newswanger, Maple Tree Kennels- 331 adult breeding dogs with a history of violations including: cages with holes in wire flooring that are too wide and paws/bodies fall through, top of enclosures covered in hair and wood shaving dust (breeder reported that area is cleaned twice a year), and an ‘abundance of litters’ caused puppies to be housed in feed/bedding storage areas. To learn more about this breeder, click here:
- Ervin Knepp, Washington Indiana- 83 adult breeding dogs.
- William Miller, Keyetsville Missouri- unable to find a license.
- Doug Feller, Rattan Oklahoma- unable to find a license.
- Jessica Craig, Broken Bow Oklahoma- unable to find a license.
- Philip Chupp, Oak Valley Kennel. Mcleansboro Illinois- 47 adult breeding dogs with a history of violations including: rusty enclosures, dirty whelping areas, dogs that are matted, ingrown dog nails, and gaps in the roof which allows rain to get in. To view USDA inspection photos, click here.
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Just Pups- 28 Constantine Dr, Tyngsboro Massachusetts- closed.
According to the CVI reports that we have obtained from the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture, these are the breeders that Just Pups has purchased from in 2015 and 2016.
- Starline Resources, Fountain City Indiana-
- Becky Busboom, Dannebrog, Nebraska. Dog Broker with a history of violations, including using pig medications on puppies. To view which puppy mills Busboom buys from, click here.
- Herman and Dorothy Yoder, McLeansboro Illinois- 100 adult breeding dogs. Dogs being bred in Semi trucks. To view USDA inspection photos, click here.
- Vic Graber, Westside Kennel. Sullivan Illinois-105 adult breeding dogs with a history of violations including: pugs with protruding eyes, dogs with toe cysts, and dogs with eye discharge. To view USDA inspection photos, click here.
- Andy Yoder, Yoder Backroad Kennel, Millersburg Ohio- breeder with a long list of USDA violations including: sick dogs, dogs with eye injuries, matted dogs, and dogs living in corn cribs.
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Pik A Pup- 599 Concord Street, Holliston, Massachusetts. closed.
- Mary Moore, D&M Kennel. Uniontown, Kansas- Large scale puppy mill with a history of violations including selling and transporting puppies that were under 8 weeks of age to Petland Stores in Kansas.
- Curt and Lori Conrad, Conrad’s Cuddly Canines, LLC. Frankford Missouri- 94 puppies.Conrad’s Cuddly Canines: Selling over 5,000 Puppies a Year. Conrad’s is a large-scale commercial puppy broker in Missouri that ships puppies all over the United States. Conrad’s Cuddly Canines sells over 5,000 puppies a year and reportedly grosses over $1,000,000 in sales.
- Tiffanie’s LLC, Frankford MO – Broker with over 229 puppies on their property. Violations include keeping puppies in kennels that are too small.
- Herman (Tony) Schindler, QD Kennels, Frankford Missouri- 133 puppies.
- Pinnacle Pet (Sobrad LLC), Neosho Missouri- 353 puppies.
- Herschberger, Arcola Illinois- unable to access records.
- Paul and Sheila Haag, Valley View Kennel and A Maze N Farmyard. Eden Valley- 489 adult breeding dogs, 396 puppies. They have previous violations including dogs walking with a limp. To view USDA inspection photos, click here.
- Justin Jackson, Clifton Kansas- 424 adult breeding dogs with a history of violations including: Excessively thin and ill Vizslas, rusty kennels and broken floors. One of the 2016 Horrible Hundred breeders. To view USDA inspection photos, click here.
- Paul Nichols, Countree Pet (Meadows), Culbertson, Nebraska- 88 adult breeding dogs.
- Jolyn Noethe, JAKS Puppies, Britt Iowa (broker) – 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 and they are being investigated by the Iowa Attorney General for having fraudulent businesses.To view where JAKS is purchasing their puppies from, click here.
- Steven Yoder, LaGrange Indiana- 24 adult breeding dogs , 40 puppies.
- Chrissie Yoder, Clark Missouri- 42 adult breeding dogs.
- Judith, Daniel and Donald Rhoads, Atlanta Missouri- 54 adult breeding dogs.
- Fred “Yader”(on CVI) actually Fred Yoder, Bloomingdale, Michigan- 71 adult breeding dogs.
- Wayne Miller, Woffer Kennels. Middlebury, Indiana- 85 adult breeding dogs with violations including wheaten terriers with severe dental disease.
- Erwin Jay Yoder, Bloomfield Iowa- 39 adult breeding dogs.
- Herman, Schindler, QD Kennels, Frankford Missouri- 133 puppies
- Lester Troyer, Clark Missouri- unable to access records.
For more ways you can help the dogs trapped in puppy mills, click here.
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 view the rest of our CVI data, click here.
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 with any questions or paperwork that you have and we will confidentially research the breeder your pup came from.
