Utah Pet Store/Puppy Mill Connection

©Bailing Out Benji 2024

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

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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 inherently 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. We are all committed to raising awareness about the puppy mill issue, particularly the connection to pet stores. 

So what is the truth? What is the public supposed to believe when the nice store owner and employees paint such a believable and beautiful picture? Again… This is why we are here.

The research team at Bailing Out Benji researches puppy mills to 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.

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. Bailing Out Benji obtains these records by requesting them from the Department of Agriculture, paying for them and then making them public. 

To make this easier, we will be breaking our article down by each pet store and connecting them to the various breeding facilities that they sourced from in 2023 and 2022.

PLEASE NOTE: Many of the stores in Utah are sourcing from notorious dog broker JAKS Puppies and not directly from breeders themselves. 

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Cedar Pet Supply- 1233 Sage Dr, Ste F Cedar City, UT 84720

250 Red Cliffs Dr Space 8, St. George, UT 84790

These stores are owned by the same owner, David Salinas, who also operates pet stores in California that are currently being investigated for using sham rescue organizations.

  1. Brandon Yost. Norwood, Missouri- Not USDA licensed. 
  2. Cullen Galmor. Foss, Oklahoma- Not USDA licensed.
  3. Daniel Brenneman. Watts, Oklahoma- Not USDA licensed.
  4. Daniel Ferrari. Foss, Oklahoma- Not USDA licensed.
  5. David Glick. Grovespring, Missouri- Not USDA licensed.
  6. Dawn Perrine. Pacific, Missouri- Sold multiple kittens under the age of 8 weeks old to Cedar Pet Supply and was written up by the State of Missouri. Perrine had more than 4 breeding animals and was operating without a state license. They received an unsatisfactory pre-license inspection. Cedar Pet Supply bought a total of 17 kittens from her (13 of which were underage).
  7. Devyn Ferrari. Burn Flat, Oklahoma- Not USDA licensed.
  8. Isaac Stoltzfus (L). Hartville, Missouri- Cancelled USDA license, had 27 adult dogs and 13 puppies during last inspection on 10.5.2022.
  9. Jay Miller. Mt Vernon, Missouri- Not USDA licensed.
  10. John Bontrager & Lizzie Bontrager. Clark, Missouri- 13 adult dogs. This facility had violations in Quarter 1 of 2022 and in 2021.
  11. Jolyn Noethe & Kimberly Dolphin, JAKS Puppies AKA Hobo K9 Rescue (Sham Rescue). Britt, Iowa- 97 puppies. This facility is notorious for their “puppy laundering” scheme in which they created a sham rescue called Hobo K9 Rescue to subvert local and state humane pet store legislation. You can read that information here.
  12. Landon Headings, Headings Farms. Buffalo, Missouri- 151 adult dogs and 90 puppies.
  13. Leon Miller. Mount Vernon, Missouri- Not USDA licensed.
  14. Levi Borntreger. Monticello, Missouri- 80 adult dogs and 40 puppies. Has canceled their license.
  15. Linda Barton, Barton’s Puppy Boutique. Liberal, Missouri- 137 adult dogs and 43 puppies.
  16. Mahlon Schrock & Fannie Schrock, Schrock Family Kennel. Harwood, Missouri- 40 adult dogs and 51 puppies.
  17. Marla Campbell & Roger Campbell, Dandelion Acres AKA Campbell Partnership AKA Iris Lane Kennel. Newton, Kansas- 120 dogs and 66 puppies.
  18. Ray Rothman and Alysia Rothman,  Market Smart AKA Primo Puppies, JPC Transport,  Pet Connect Rescue,  RDR Unlimited. Neosho, Missouri- The Rothman family has deep roots in the commercial dog breeding world. They owned a pet store in Connecticut, they’ve worked for several brokers and they have been involved in numerous lawsuits over their sham rescue and their role in the nationwide puppy-laundering scheme. This facility has since canceled their license. 
  19. Rick (Richard) Jensen & Cindy Jensen. Neodesha, Kansas- 236 adult dogs and 105 puppies. Received violations in Quarter 1 of 2023 and Quarter 1 of 2022.
  20. Samuel Yoder, Shady Grove Kennel. Hutchinson, Kansas- 61 adult dogs and 31 puppies.
  21. Shawnie Evans. Keota, Oklahoma- 41 adult dogs and 11 puppies.
  22. Sheila Hughes & Judy Perez. Wheaton, Missouri- Not USDA licensed.
  23. Stephen Stoltzfus. Grovespring, Missouri- Not USDA licensed.
  24. Tana Jordan. Elk City, Oklahoma- Not USDA licensed.
  25. Tiffany Kurz, Tiffanie’s LLC. Frankford, Missouri- Large broker in Missouri.
  26. Todd Bauer, Salt City Kennels. Hutchinson, Kansas- 26 adult dogs and 13 puppies.
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Puppy House Washington- 875 W Red Cliffs Dr #7, Washington, Utah 84780

42 S River Road Unit 12, St. George- CLOSED. 

  1. Curt Conrad & Lori Conrad, Conrad’s Cuddly Canines. Frankford, Missouri- Conrad’s is a large-scale commercial puppy broker in Missouri that ships puppies all over the United States
  2. David Brown and Kimberly Parsons, First Class Puppies.  Formerly owned by Becky and Guy Franks. Bluejacket, Oklahoma- Puppy broker who sells to pet stores across the nation. They had 8 adult dogs and 39 puppies during their last inspection in 2022. 
  3. Jolyn Noethe & Kimberly Dolphin, JAKS Puppies AKA Hobo K9 Rescue (Sham Rescue). Britt, Iowa- 97 puppies. This facility is notorious for their “puppy laundering” scheme in which they created a sham rescue called Hobo K9 Rescue to subvert local and state humane pet store legislation. You can read that information here.
  4. Mark Steffensmeier & Gina Steffensmeier, MG Cattle Inc. Salem, Iowa- Puppy broker in Iowa selling to pet stores nationwide. 
  5. Phil Hoover (M), Show Me Puppies. Memphis, Missouri- 333 adult breeding dogs and 189 puppies. 
  6. Pinnacle Pet AKA Sobrad LLC. Neosho, Missouri- One of the largest puppy brokers in the country that had 268 puppies and 76 ferrets during their last inspection.  
  7. Tom Steffensmeier and Carla Steffensmeier, T&C Steffensmeier. West Point, Iowa- Before canceling their license, this facility had 147 adult breeding dogs and 78 puppies. This facility had violations in both Quarter 1 and Quarter 3 of 2023.  
  8. Tiffany Kurz, Tiffanie’s LLC. Frankford, Missouri- Large broker in Missouri.
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Sue’s Pet Castle- 695 N Bluff St C, St. George, UT 84770

  1. Dawn Steward, New Dawn Kennels. Lebanon, Missouri- does not appear to be USDA licensed. 
  2. Deborah Warren, Misty Dew Kennels. Pierce City, Missouri- 103 adult breeding dogs and 43 puppies. 
  3. Judy Koehn, Bow-Wow Mound. Burns, Kansas- 204 adult breeding dogs and 174 puppies. This facility had violations in quarter 3 of 2022. 
  4. Kathy Brown, Peaceful Acres Kennels. Novinger, Missouri- 49 adult breeding dogs and 33 puppies. This facility has since canceled their USDA license. 
  5. Kim Ireland. Pleasant Hope, Missouri- doesn’t appear to hold a license. 
  6. Mary Smith, Smith’s Kennels. Salem, Missouri- This facility has since canceled their license after a long history of violations but had 21 adult breeding dogs at the time of their last inspection. Smith has received USDA violations in 2022 and 2023. 
  7. Milton Lewis, Rock Hill Dog Ranch AKA Rock Creek Puppies. Newport, Nebraska- At the time of this report, this facility hasn’t been inspected by the USDA since 2022. Per their state inspections, this facility refused their first 2023 inspection but had 188 adult breeding dogs and 102 puppies on their property when the inspector was able to follow up. 
  8. Phil Hoover (M), Show Me Puppies. Memphis, Missouri- 333 adult breeding dogs and 189 puppies. 
  9. Sandra Rottinghaus and Derek Rottinghaus,  R Family Kennel. Seneca, Kansas- At the time of this report, this facility hasn’t been inspected by the USDA since 2022. That inspection noted that 149 adult breeding dogs and 63 puppies. 
  10. Teresa Follin, TJ’s Kennel. Sallisaw, Oklahoma-  At the time of this report, this facility hasn’t been inspected by the USDA since 2022. That inspection noted that they had 49 adult breeding dogs. 
  11. Troy Wedel, Canterbury Tails Pets LLC. McPherson, Kansas- This facility appears to have canceled their USDA license. At the time of their last inspection in February 2023, Wedel had 235 adult breeding dogs and 114 puppies. 
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The Puppy Store-  7211 Plaza Center Dr #160 . West Jordan, UT

 576 N Mill Rd. Vineyard, UT

1302 Redwood Road, Saratoga Springs, Utah- now closed

1055 W Red Cliffs Dr. Washington, Utah- now closed

These stores are owned by the same owner, David Salinas, who also operates pet stores in California that are currently being investigated for using sham rescue organizations.

  1. Andrea Ratterree and Dustin Ratterree, Bear Ridge Pups. Willow Springs, Missouri- 16 adult breeding dogs. 
  2. Brandon Yost. Norwood, Missouri- does not hold a USDA license. 
  3. Cullen Galmor. Foss, Oklahoma- does not hold a USDA license. 
  4. Daniel Brenneman. Watts, Oklahoma- Not USDA licensed.
  5. Daniel Ferrari. Foss, Oklahoma- does not hold a USDA license.
  6. Daniel Hertzler. Grovespring, Missouri- does not hold a USDA license. 
  7. Danny Schrock and Kristine Schrock. Coalgate, Oklahoma- has 68 adult breeding dogs and 74 puppies. 
  8. David Glick. Grovespring, Missouri- does not hold a USDA license. 
  9. Deborah Brenneman. Watts, Oklahoma- does not hold a USDA license. 
  10. Denton Headings & Lawade Headings. El Dorado Springs, Missouri- 24 adult dogs and 8 puppies. 
  11. Ervin Gingerich, Sparks Hollow Kennel. Norwood, Missouri- has since canceled their USDA license but this facility had 25 adult breeding dogs and 25 puppies. 
  12. David Brown and Kimberly Parsons, First Class Puppies.  Formerly owned by Becky and Guy Franks. Bluejacket, Oklahoma- Puppy broker who sells to pet stores across the nation. They had 8 adult dogs and 39 puppies during their last inspection in 2022. 
  13. Jolyn Noethe & Kimberly Dolphin, JAKS Puppies AKA Hobo K9 Rescue (Sham Rescue). Britt, Iowa- 97 puppies. This facility is notorious for their “puppy laundering” scheme in which they created a sham rescue called Hobo K9 Rescue to subvert local and state humane pet store legislation. You can read that information here.
  14. James Troyer. Coalgate, Oklahoma- 54 adult breeding dogs and 28 puppies. 
  15. Jason Sauder. Linneus, Missouri- does not hold a USDA license. 
  16. Joey Thomas. Burns Flat, Oklahoma- does not hold a USDA license. 
  17. John Bontrager and Lizzie Bontrager. Clark, Missouri- This facility canceled their USDA license after having violations in Quarter 1 of 2022. They had 13 adult breeding dogs. 
  18. Justin Jackson and LaNae Jackson, Jackson Kennels. Clifton, Kansas- 196 adult breeding dogs and 173 puppies. 
  19. Karen Caudill, Foss, Oklahoma- does not hold a USDA license.
  20. Kimberly McGhee and Jim Bob McGhee. Jay, Oklahoma- does not hold a USDA license.
  21. Lacey Kauffman, Lindley Creek Kennel. Portis, Kansas- 113 adult breeding dogs and 43 puppies. 
  22. Levi J Borntreger  and Fannie Borntreger. Waverly, Kansas- 71 adult breeding dogs and 55 puppies. 
  23. Levy Galmor. Lone Wolf, Oklahoma- does not hold a USDA license.
  24. Linda Barton and Richard Barton, Barton’s Puppy Boutique. Liberal, Missouri- has since canceled their license, but had 137 adult breeding dogs and 43 puppies. 
  25. Lori Borntreger. Monticello, Missouri- does not hold a USDA license.
  26. Louise Shirk. Purdin, Missouri- does not hold a USDA license.
  27. Lyn Ferrari. Foss, Oklahoma- does not hold a USDA license.
  28. Mahlon Schrock & Fannie Schrock, Schrock Family Kennel. Harwood, Missouri- 40 adult dogs and 51 puppies. 
  29. Marla Campbell & Roger Campbell, Dandelion Acres AKA Campbell Partnership AKA Iris Lane Kennel. Newton, Kansas- 120 dogs and 66 puppies. 
  30. Marlene Zimmerman and Wayne Zimmerman. Wheeling, Missouri- This facility canceled their USDA license after receiving violations in Quarter 3 of 2023, at the time they had 11 adult breeding dogs. 
  31. Mary Friend. Neosho, Missouri- does not hold a USDA license.
  32. Ray Rothman and Alysia Rothman,  Market Smart AKA Primo Puppies, JPC Transport,  Pet Connect Rescue,  RDR Unlimited. Neosho, Missouri- The Rothman family has deep roots in the commercial dog breeding world. They owned a pet store in Connecticut, they’ve worked for several brokers and they have been involved in numerous lawsuits over their sham rescue and their role in the nationwide puppy-laundering scheme. This facility has since canceled their license. 
  33. Reuben Herschberger and Monroe Herschberger. Bloomfield, Iowa- 13 adult breeding dogs. At the time of this report, this facility hasn’t been inspected since 8/2021. They initially obtained a license after our team filed a complaint. 
  34. Rick (Richard) Jensen & Cindy Jensen. Neodesha, Kansas- 236 adult dogs and 105 puppies. Received violations in Quarter 1 of 2023 and Quarter 1 of 2022. 
  35. Rodney Goss. Sentinel, Oklahoma- does not hold a USDA license. 
  36. Rudy Ferrari. Burns Flat, Oklahoma- does not hold a USDA license. 
  37. Todd Bauer, Salt City Kennels. Hutchinson, Kansas- 33 adult breeding dogs and 16 puppies. 
  38. Samuel L Yoder, Shady Grove Kennel. Hutchinson, Kansas- 61 adult breeding dogs and 31 puppies. 
  39. Wilbert Packnett. Otterville, Missouri- does not hold a USDA license. 

 

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To those consumers that have bought a family member are wondering about their actual background -please feel free to fill out the form below with any questions that you have and we will confidentially research the breeder your pup came from.

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