Truth, Lies, and Puppy Mills

31:32

Ep69: Thanks for the (gala) memories!

Truth, Lies, and Puppy Mills ·

2026/10/07

What a night! Delicious food, amazing conversation, and fundraising fun- all to benefit your favorite anti-puppy mill nonprofit! On this week's episode, join the whole office crew as we share highlights from our Gala and talk about why this work is so special to us. Being in a room full of friends and supporters helps us stay on mission and share our work with some of the people who make sure it keeps working! To view a few of our photos from the evening, click this link. Ha...

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53:10

Ep68: The USDA Strike Force

Truth, Lies, and Puppy Mills ·

2026/09/30

Last week members of the USDA, DOJ, HHS, and others gave a surprise press conference to lay out their plan to crack down on puppy mills, animal testing, and dog fighting. The internet had a lot of opinions and so do we! On this week's episode Mindi and Kristen sit down to go through the press release, discuss the press conference, and share what we are working on behind the scenes! Our research is more important than ever! Please consider making a donation to help us continue our work: ...

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57:16

Ep67: You get a doodle and you get a doodle!

Truth, Lies, and Puppy Mills ·

2026/09/23

This week we are revisiting an episode we released back in February of this year! Kristen and Mindi sit down after the Westminster dog show to talk about "pedigrees, popularity, and perception". This unplanned conversation focuses on how consumers and every-day people view dogs and view obtaining dogs. We also talk about various industry talking points that often contradict themselves and discuss or not we think doodles will ever be AKC eligible. Oddly enough, we had this line in the or...

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39:49

Ep66: Gala week!

Truth, Lies, and Puppy Mills ·

2026/09/16

We are literally DAYS away from our annual Gala at Mainframe Studios in Des Moines on September 19th! Join our whole team for this fun episode as we chat about our favorite things that we are going to feature this year, including a behind-the-scenes look at some of our field research and some really cool silent and live auction items. There is nothing more exciting than being in a room full of people who share the same passion for making the world a better place. On top of mingling with...

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39:57

Ep65: Insight from our Database

Truth, Lies, and Puppy Mills ·

2026/09/09

Last week we chatted about our Field Research, which is a very small part of what we do. Today we are sitting down and talking about our academic research, which is the fun data work we do that takes up most of our time! Join Mindi, Alexis, and Kristen as we talk through some of our research and discuss the maps that we have been releasing on social media this month. We also highlight the importance of looking beyond just the USDA licensed breeders if you are studying this world, becaus...

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67:51

Ep64: Insight from the Field

Truth, Lies, and Puppy Mills ·

2026/09/02

On this week's episode of "Truth, Lies, and Puppy Mills", Mindi and Alexis share some details, statistics, and stories from our Field Research trips, seeing as this summer marked 2 years since we were first welcome 'inside'. This is part of our work takes us into businesses that we've only seen on paper and gives us a deeper understanding of the very industry we are working to fix. By engaging with thought leaders from within the breeding industry, we are better able to see where the ga...

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51:02

Ep63: Miranda's Rescue- A Tragedy

Truth, Lies, and Puppy Mills ·

2026/08/26

On this week's episode of "Truth, Lies, and Puppy Mills", we discuss a disturbing case out of California regarding a "no-kill", "animal sanctuary" that is currently under investigation for the unthinkable. This facility was getting paid transfer fees to take animals in from desperately overcrowded shelters in order to find them homes- but a large number of the dogs were later found deceased and buried on the property. This case is heartbreaking and calls into question a larger issue tha...

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51:32

Ep62: The Ridglan Beagles

Truth, Lies, and Puppy Mills ·

2026/08/19

For more than 60 years, Ridglan Farms in Wisconsin bred beagles for research. These dogs spent their entire lives in windowless barns, stacked in metal crates, many subjected to painful "cherry eye" and vocal cord surgeries performed without anesthesia by staff who weren't veterinarians. Undercover footage, whistleblower testimony, and a judge's own finding of probable cause for animal cruelty finally forced a reckoning. Last week the very last beagles- 155 of them, adults and puppies as youn...

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37:54

Ep61: United States vs Wuanita Swedlund

Truth, Lies, and Puppy Mills ·

2026/08/12

On this week's episode of "Truth, Lies, and Puppy Mills", Mindi and Alexis sit down to chat about a recent animal seizure that happened at a USDA facility in Iowa. 32 dogs (and a cat and rabbit) were seized by the USDA and Department of Justice after a USDA broker/breeder had multiple violations and two years worth of missed inspections. We talk about the process leading up to a seizure and which jurisdiction covers what in cases of cruelty. We also talk about the larger system that allows th...

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52:52

Ep60: We were on a break!

Truth, Lies, and Puppy Mills ·

2026/08/05

We say we were on a break, but were we really? Join Mindi and Kristen for this 'junk drawer' episode where we catch you up on everything the BOB team was up to while we weren't releasing episodes of our show! We had a really busy summer and had some enlightening conversations along the way. Thank you for being here with us this week! We are excited to be back :) To become a sponsor of our gala, click here: https://secure.everyaction.com/do2sZtCutUe4ZY898EgRhQ2 To buy tickets ...

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10:01

Ep59: Summer Break!

Truth, Lies, and Puppy Mills ·

2026/06/17

Join us this week for a short episode as we share our plans for the summer and announce a short break before season 3! We are working on some big things behind the scenes and we can't wait to unleash them on the world :) Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or LinkedIn to stay up to date on all that is Bailing Out Benji!

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64:12

Ep58: Canine Welfare Science Conference

Truth, Lies, and Puppy Mills ·

2026/06/10

On this week's episode, Kristen and Mindi sit down to recap the latest conference we attended! At the end of May, Mindi and Alexis hit the road to attend the Canine Welfare Science Conference at Purdue University, where they met up with a Bailing Out Benji volunteer attending in person while another joined virtually from home. What happens when animal welfare advocates pull up a chair at tables filled with commercial dog breeders? A lot of listening, a lot of learning, and some surprisingly p...

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46:39

Ep57: Shots! Shots! Shots!

Truth, Lies, and Puppy Mills ·

2026/06/03

On this week's episode of "Truth, Lies, and Puppy Mills" we chat about the community vaccine clinic that our little nonprofit fully sponsored! We do this annually in partnership with our city shelter, and this year we had a record-breaking year. After the spots filled up within a day, the shelter asked us if we could sponsor twice the amount of animals! This isn't a cost they are able to front, and we know that the need is higher than ever... so of course we said yes! Beyond that, we gi...

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57:37

Ep56: Shelters We Love: Marshalltown ARL

Truth, Lies, and Puppy Mills ·

2026/05/27

Through our work, we are blessed to be surrounded by amazing people who are doing amazing things for animals (and the humans that love them!)- like Austin and Jodi with the Animal Rescue League of Marshalltown. This dynamic duo has done incredible work in getting their rural shelter noticed by their community and by national organizations! Tune in this week to hear more about the issues that shelters in Iowa are facing and how innovative solutions can open up the doors for even more com...

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43:02

Ep55: Fetching Attention

Truth, Lies, and Puppy Mills ·

2026/05/20

This week, Mindi and Kristen kick off the episode by chatting about our experience with a local company that spent time with us to create videos and PSAs for our social media channels. We've learned a lot about what gets picked up on different platforms the best, and we've also learned to let ourselves look a little silly online (if that means more people see our message!) This episode evolves into a conversation regarding the latest breeder bust in Missouri and how weird exemptions to ...

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61:26

Ep54: KP Goes National!

Truth, Lies, and Puppy Mills ·

2026/05/13

Y'all this week we are TIRED! Kristen flew across the country to table at her first ever national conference and then we recorded this one day after she got back (and one hour after our monthly free pet food pantry!) So you are most definitely getting our sharpest thoughts and sweaty selves today :) Tune into this fun episode where Kristen shares the information she learned while being out in the field! She heard so much from shelters across the country about what they are facing ...

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53:21

Ep53: Indiana Puppy Mill Bust

Truth, Lies, and Puppy Mills ·

2026/05/06

On this week's episode of "Truth, Lies, and Puppy Mills", Alexis, Kristen, and Mindi talk about the recent puppy mill bust in Indiana and how lax laws across the country allow for animals to fall between the cracks. We discuss our research into the recently cancelled licensed breeders and talk about what steps can be taken to make laws more uniform across the country. To view the news story and details on the Indiana bust, click here: https://www.wane.com/top-stories/humane-fort-wa...

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72:49

Ep52: Benji is 15!

Truth, Lies, and Puppy Mills ·

2026/04/29

Our little baby organization is officially 15 years old! So much has happened during that time and we have already accomplished so much. Tune in this week as Kristen and Mindi walk back through time and chat about some of the biggest ways that our work has had an influence on the world- and vice versa. We have lofty goals for the future and we can't do it without you! Please consider making a donation today in honor of our birthday and help us continue our work: https://secure.everyacti...

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63:37

Ep51: Helping Both Ends of the Leash

Truth, Lies, and Puppy Mills ·

2026/04/22

For years, “animal rescue” meant putting animals first no matter what. But the conversation is quickly changing and, because of that, so is the impact. In our latest podcast episode, Kristen and Jalaine sit down with Cayla from The Pet Project Midwest and Abbey from The Animal Rescue League of Iowa to discuss how our organizations work together regularly to share food and resources so we can help support families in need. Through our community work, each organization has come to understand t...

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47:14

Ep50: Animal Rights vs Animal Welfare

Truth, Lies, and Puppy Mills ·

2026/04/15

On this week's episode, Mindi and Kristen take a closer look at the conversation around animal rights and animal welfare. These two approaches are often talked about, but are not always understood or recognized as two different belief systems. We explore where these perspectives come from, where they overlap, and how they shape the way people work to help animals. As always, we are having another nuanced discussion, one that reflects the complexity of this work and the different paths people ...

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