The Truth About Texas Puppy Selling Pet Stores

01/24/2025

Puppies and kittens sold in Texas pet stores are nothing but products to the stores and the breeders or brokers they come from.
If you were sold a sick puppy or kitten at a pet store, Bailing Out Benji can help you file a complaint.

Why stay silent? Let's pass a statewide ban on the retail sales of cats and dogs in pet stores in Texas in 20205! Follow Texas Humane Legislation Network (THLN) and Puppy Mill Free Texas to stay in the loop on this hot topic.

01/18/2025

Filing complaints with the Texas Attorney General will help to get these businesses on their radar! Puppyland has 1 location in Texas located in Leon Valley, right outside of San Antonio city limits.

Breaking news!!

The owners of the Puppyland chain of stores were ordered to pay $3.75 million to the state of Washington and end its "illegal advertising and sales practices".

This comes after the Washington State Attorney General's office was prompted to investigate the store following numerous complaints from customers. Our nonprofit was instrumental in helping customers come forward in this case and we are extremely grateful for this outcome!

The court order also requires Puppyland Washington to make numerous reforms to its sales and advertising practices. Among them:

- Puppyland can no longer require non-disparagement provisions in its sales contracts;

- Puppyland cannot refuse to negotiate with consumers on pet costs;

- Puppyland is prohibited from advising consumers on loans;

- Puppyland employees cannot falsely advertise breeding standards; and

- Puppyland must clearly advertise the price range of its puppies.

This ruling only affects their Washington location. This chain currently has locations in Texas, Arizona, and Idaho.

To view the full press release from the AG's office, click here:
https://www.atg.wa.gov/news/news-releases/puppyland-pay-375-million-result-consumer-protection-lawsuit #:~:text=The%20Attorney%20General's%20Office%20filed,agreements%20that%20illegally%20restricted%20truthful

To donate to our nonprofit and help us continue being a voice for the puppy mill dogs and the people who love them, click here:
https://bailingoutbenji.com/donate/

01/17/2025

Let Bailing Out Benji help you research that breeder or online website before purchasing a pet!

You can be anyone you want online.
So can puppy mills.

John Kowal is a perfect example of that. Kowal holds a New York state license and was found to have 3 critical violations in 2024. A quick search of his phone number shows us that he is selling puppies on (at least) 10 different websites that are all breed specific- making it seem as though he is a small, specialized breeder.

Kowal, of course, makes no mention of his violations or his identity on his websites. We also have evidence that he is brokering without a USDA license.

Read more about our latest investigation here:
https://bailingoutbenji.com/whats-in-a-number/

01/16/2025

Puppyland is in the news..again.

Texas has become a safe haven for the Puppyland chain of stores, as well as numerous other puppy-selling outlets. While this latest store complaint is coming from an Arizona news outlet, we have seen these same concerns brought up from consumers here in Texas. Sick puppies, high interest rates, and concerning sourcing.

https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/arizona-pet-store-sells-sick-dogs-predatory-loans-20987075

Because pet stores and online websites lack transparency for the consumer, we strongly advise families to do their research before they buy or adopt from one of our amazing rescues and shelters!

To view our research into Texas Puppy Stores, click here: https://bailingoutbenji.com/puppy-mill-maps/cvi-data/texas/

To join our mailing list and be in the loop on upcoming legislation in Texas, click here: https://secure.everyaction.com/nJH9y8dAW0ilG7-xltxBQQ2

12/17/2024

Puppyland San Antonio/Leon Valley formerly New Braunfels location. They are now posting the breeder information on the kennel cards, but do you know how to access the inspection reports for those breeders? By pulling up those inspection reports, you can see just how many puppies and adult dogs these breeders have. These inspection reports will also tell you of past violations that these breeders have had. See my previous post for a tutorial on how to navigate the USDA website and breeder search portal.

P.S. Ethical dog breeders that are a part of their breed club, do NOT sell their puppies in pet stores. It goes against their code of ethics. Stick with dog breeders that breed to PRESERVE their breed, not backyard breeders who breed just for profit and to produce schmancy colors.

★★☆☆☆ "Jul 27 24, Awesome experience. Demetrius was very helpful and super professional. Nov 23 24, So, although the staff was eager and helpful 4 months and $4900.00 later in doctor bills for things I never heard of before. It's been issue after issue with this pup. I hope he gets better,...

12/16/2024

Did you know that Bailing Out Benji will help you research that dog or cat breeder BEFORE you buy??

Forgive the graphic nature of our post, but this is the reality of buying puppies without researching where your puppy was born. No matter how the breeder is selling, there is always a possibility that they are running a cruel and inhumane facility. We have to reach potential puppy buyers and educate them- without shame- or they will continue financially supporting puppy mills.

The photos on the left were taken at the Hargis facility in January 2024, while the screenshot of their profile on Puppies.com was taken today. If a customer were to google "Hargis Sunshine Kennel", they would be able to read about years of violations, but third party brokering websites make it seem like you don't have to.

Featured breeder? Check!
USDA and State licensed? Check!
Small Kennel? Check!
Longstanding member? You bet!
A long list of recent violations and bad inspection photos? No mention of those...

Buying a puppy without getting to know the breeder is dangerous. Not only are the parents often living in substandard conditions, but you could have very minimal legal recourse if your puppy is sick, dies, or never existed at all.

Our nonprofit helps hundreds of families each year file complaints on the breeders and businesses they have bought sick puppies from. It is a heartbreaking part of our work, but very important. We are lucky to also get emails from people who research before they buy and want our advice so they don't support these kinds of places.

We need to keep encouraging the latter, if we want to see an end to puppy mills.

12/13/2024

Pupp Dreams
Lancaster, Texas

★☆☆☆☆ "Highly recommend, Tony and Hugo were knowledgeable, helpful and professional. ****DO NOT PURCHASE FROM HERE!!!!!!***** Update: bought my puppy Friday 10.18.24, left the store around 7pm. I mentioned to Tony prior to completing the paperwork that the puppy smelled funny and asked if ...

12/12/2024

Families who attempt to buy puppies in pet stores or through online brokering websites are often offered credit cards, loans, and even leases just so the business can seal the deal and sell that puppy. What they aren't told is that those interest rates can climb as high as 188% per loan and they don't often realize it until their first bill comes. We know this because we've seen the contracts and we've had to try and help these families navigate a new world full of big debt and, sometimes, even a sick puppy.
"Ending Puppy Mills" to us means protecting the consumers as well. We need to meet the public where they are at and have conversations about safe ways to obtain their new pets in order to take sales away from cruel and inhumane business practices. We need to take the 'blame and shame' out of our industry in order to reach those who need to hear this message the most, so they can avoid financially supporting a puppy mill. Give our main main Out Benji a ✔️LIKE
https://bailingoutbenji.com/buyer-beware-predatory-pet.../
https://bailingoutbenji.com/puppy-mill-maps/cvi-data/

12/11/2024

12/06/2024

'Tis the season to research before you buy!

Puppy mills sell everywhere and they are good at hiding the true conditions of their facilities, especially when they know they are about to make a sale. With the holidays coming up, it is the perfect time to remind your friends and family about puppy mills and how to avoid them!

Don't forget to tell those in your circle about the work we are doing at Bailing Out Benji and send them our way if they have any questions about where to obtain their next pet.
We have the nation's largest database of puppy mills and dog brokers and would love to help you avoid supporting puppy mills and backyard breeders.
Nearly every breed has a rescue and Texas is home to 100s of shelters and breed-specific rescues!
Send us an email at [email protected]

12/06/2024

Furever Pets sells puppies from a Missouri dog broker. (Source Bailing Out Benji )

★☆☆☆☆ "I bought a puppy and two days later was sick bad sick by the time I took him to vet immediately and they inform me he had round warms and it was so severe that they had to do emergency surgery it cost me $5000 to get my puppy well. The vet said it was pre existing because how severe...

12/04/2024

Anyone up for sponsoring ads in their community?

As of now, our animated commercials are running on Hulu, Disney, Roku (and more) have reached 1,899,337 people!! That is such a huge impact for our small organization! So many new families are going to learn about puppy mills during prime puppy-buying season 💙
With your help, we can bring these ads to social media too! We have set up a link on our website where you can donate as little as $25 and let us know what community you would like to see our ad running and we will make it happen. Any funds raised through for this project will go specifically for PSAs in the communities requested!
Texas is huge, so let's get this started!
Here is the link to get started: https://secure.everyaction.com/mD7xbBVj4EKUckGKBpwPKQ2

12/03/2024

USDA-licensed dog and cat breeders ARE PUPPY MILLS.

Looking for a pet this holiday season? Research the breeder BEFORE you decide to purchase.

Where your next pet comes from, does matter.

11/30/2024

Puppy-selling pet stores will lie. They will mislead you about where their puppies really come from. All they care about is making money off of them. And yes, they will bribe you with "extras" so that you will leave a 5*review.

★☆☆☆☆ "Petland is lying to you about how healthy they keep their puppies. This is how our Petland experience was: The PC's only care if you're gonna buy. They tell you they take care of them and that they are healthy and have the Vet visit Once a week. The reason why they have good reviews...

11/29/2024