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Iowa Puppy Mills by the Numbers

 

As an Iowan, I have always been proud to live in this state. The scenery is beautiful, and the people are amazing. I have always believed that there is no better place than here….

Since starting Bailing Out Benji in 2011, my eyes have been opened to the world of misery and torture in our own back yard. I had no idea that is Iowa is the SECOND WORST state in America when it comes to puppy mills, with over 250 puppy mills (and over 17,000 adult dogs trapped)! Since Bailing Out Benji was founded, the number of puppy mills in Iowa has dropped from over 400 to just over 250- which is fantastic news! But we have a long way to go… And we can’t do it without YOUR help! 

In this article, I have included a few “fast facts” about Iowa puppy mills, so you can share and help us educate! We firmly believe that through education we can put an end to this industry! 

Counties with the most puppy mills in Iowa 

Sioux County (with 28!)

Lee County (With 21!)

Davis County (with 14!)

 Lyon County (With 7!)

Worth County (With 7! )

Remember, these are just a few of  the worst counties when it comes to puppy mills… It does not mean that they are the only counties with puppy mills and it doesn’t mean these are the puppy mills with the most number of dogs. If you are curious about puppy mills in your area, please contact us! 

Felts

2015 Breeders with DIRECT USDA Violations.

 In 2015 alone, there were 24 USDA inspections done that included direct violations of the Animal Welfare Act. A direct violation is one that puts an animal in immediate distress (illness, open wounds, inadequate cage size, etc) 

Of those 24 inspections: 

-5 USDA licensed breeders had more than one inspection last year with direct violations on each inspection

-1 USDA licensed breeder had three inspections done and had a direct violation on each

-25 direct violations were handed out in total. 

Iowa USDA Licensed Breeders Make 2015 HSUS Horrible Hundred List

Each year, the Humane Society of the United States puts out their list of the worst puppy mill owners in the country, and each year Iowa makes the list! Sadly, in 2015 Iowa made quite the impact, with 11 puppy mills making the cut. 

Puppy mills in the following counties made the list: Calhoun, Crawford, Franklin, Johnson, Lee, Marion, Mitchell, Plymouth,Sioux, Van Buren. 

These puppy mills alone have over 903 adult dogs trapped in their facilities and they are living in some of the worst conditions in the entire country. The HSUS does a “Horrible Hundred” list each year, and Iowa is always represented. Here are the links to the 2014 and 2013. 

 

Iowa USDA Licensed Breeders with the Most Adult Dogs 

The top five breeders in Iowa have overwhelming amounts of dogs. Totaling over 2,000 adult breeding dogs, these facilities have numerous violations and many have made the HSUS horrible hundred list in previous years. 

Larry Albrecht- Coldwater Kennels, Butler County. Latest USDA Count- 261 adult dogs, 220 puppies. 

J. Maasen- Sioux County. Latest USDA Count- 282 adult dogs, 158 puppies. THIS BREEDER MADE THE 2015 HORRIBLE HUNDRED PUPPY MILL LIST. 

Marvin and Joanna Newswanger- Maple Tree Kennels, Chickasaw County. Latest USDA count- 331 adult dogs 

Ed VanDoorn- Squaw Creek Kennels, Mahaska County. Latest USDA Count- 387 adult dogs, 152 puppies. 

Steve Kruse- Stonehenge Kennels, Lee County. Latest USDA count- 823 adult dogs, 584 puppies. THIS BREEDER HAD FIVE INDIRECT VIOLATIONS ON THEIR LATEST INSPECTION. 

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And Lastly, Iowa has over 10 pet stores that buy from puppy mills, but even more Iowa puppy mills shipping puppies to stores out of the state. For more information on them, please click here. 

Bailing Out Benji is the only organization in Iowa that actively protests these pet stores and we would LOVE your help! Ames, Cedar Rapids and Iowa City are three cities that we host protests in each weekend. If you know of a pet store in your area that sells puppies, please contact us! We would love to help you educate the citizens in your town! Remember, Pet store puppies ARE puppy mill puppies: don’t buy the lies! 

The dogs in the puppy mills need YOUR help today. Help us educate your family, friends and coworkers by sharing this article! With each new person learning about puppy mills, we are one step closer to putting an end to the industry altogether! 

For more ways to help, please contact us! 

— Mindi

** All Info is Current as of October 2015 and will be updated regularly**

And don’t forget to like us on facebook !!

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Horse Diving- a blast from the past?

**UPDATE!!! Steel Pier has since backed out of their proposed idea… The horses are safe, for now! Thank every one of you that called and signed the petition.  **

For my HORSE-loving friends…. Atlantic City wants to bring back “high-diving horse” 

acts to its Steel Pier. These acts haven’t been around since the 1970s — and for good reason, as they involve horses and riders leaping or falling from a 40 foot tower into a swimming pool.

You read that correctly, DIVE. The owners of the Steel Pier in Atlantic City say they are bringing back this attraction that was once stopped due to the concerns for the animals. The new horse dive will consist of a rider jumping the horse off a platform into a 12 foot pool. Anthony Catanoso, the Steel Pier president, sees no risk of harm to the animals and feels it’s a historic and popular attraction.

 It may come as a surprise that diving horses aren’t necessarily illegal in the United States. Lack of interest in “side shows” and enforcement of other laws by animal protection agencies are more the reason why there’s been a kibosh on the “Diving Horse” scene. Perhaps they just haven’t been popular enough to be a part of many shows or board walks these days. 
Horse diving was an attraction here from the 1920s to the 1970s when it was stopped. The shows received very strong criticisms of animal rights abuses, which contributed to the decline of its popularity after World War 2. The horses were sometimes forced to dive  four times a day, seven days a week, and were slaughtered once their career was over. There are allegations of using prods, electrical jolts, and trap doors to get unwilling horses to dive.
 Now the plan is to build an amphitheater and charge $10 a person to see a horse and rider dive. But many local residents are not happy with the return of the dive. The Atlantic City SPCA President, Nancy Beall, has said the idea is disgusting and it’s cruel to put the animals though this event. Hopefully through efforts of the SPCA, word of this will spread and Mr. Catanoso will reconsider this cruel tradition.

But in a strange nod to nostalgia (the popular TV series “Boardwalk Empire” takes place on Atlantic City’s Steel Pier in the 1920s, when high-diving horses first became popular), Atlantic City wants to bring this antiquated act back into the present day. And the cruel show could be back as soon as Memorial Day weekend…


Atlantic City also tried to bring back high-diving horses in 1993 — but a huge backlash caused those plans to be abandoned. Public outcry can do the same now, especially since construction on a horse-diving tower hasn’t begun yet. With so many other attractions proposed (beer gardens, games and rides), public pressure will swiftly divert these funds into a tourist attraction that will be more fun, lucrative and animal cruelty-free.

If you are against this, please hop on over to this site, and sign a petition telling Atlantic City that we do not want this to happen! 

http://www.change.org/petitions/stop-the-reopening-of-the-cruel-diving-horse-show?utm_medium=email&utm_source=action_alert

If you have a little more time, PLEASE contact them via these means: 

Toll Free:

(866) 386-6659

Phone:

(609) 345-4893

Fax:

(609) 345-7492

E-Mail:

customerservice at steelpier.com

info@steelpier.com

If you liked this article, please “like” our facebook page. 

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You may say I’m a dreamer

BUT I’M NOT THE ONLY ONE!

(pictured are Zannah and Gabby)

There are so many people in Iowa that simply want the best for our pets! We want harsher punishments for when they are abused, we want mills to stop making puppies daily, and we want the dogs in the shelters to get adopted so they can know what a loving family is! I don’t think that these “wants” are out of the question. I feel like every living being deserves to be fed, to be healthy, and to be loved.

“I don’t believe in killing whatever the reason!” John Lennon

That is why  I started “Bailing out Benji”. This Blog is just trying to gain awareness for the vastly growing problem in Iowa. That problem is animal abuse, pet overpopulation and puppy mills. In the first two months we have reached over 2000 people and gained their support! Who knows what will happen in the future!  All I know is that we are working so hard to make this a better place for our pets. If you are reading this, and you have any questions, please either comment on this blog or email me at peopleforanimals2011@hotmail.com. I will reply to you very promptly! It is so very important that we education as thoroughly as possible! Please help us to reach the rest of Iowa. Together we can educate the state on animal abuse!

“A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.” John Lennon

If you want to help… Please let me know! I have many small projects that I am working on, and I would love to get more help with them! For example, I am starting a letter writing campaign to a local pet store that sells puppies (that come from a known puppy mill)! That is such an easy way to help! Email me or comment for more information on the subject!

Just remember, we are the voice for the voiceless… Our lives begin to end the day that we become silent about things that matter.

— Mindi <3