10/13/2025
Our investigation into "California and the Case of the Disappearing Puppies" has resulted in the passing of another state bill in CA!
(For background into what we are talking about, start your reading here: https://bailingoutbenji.com/ca-puppies/ )
You may recall that after our LA Times story came out, California immediately stopped destroying critical health records that document animal movements into their state. Lawmakers also eagerly grabbed on to the story and came up with their next version of the fix for California.
On paper, the law sounds good. AB519 bans online marketplaces where dogs are sold by brokers, which is defined as any person or business that sells or transports a dog bred by someone else for profit. That includes major national pet retailers, including PuppySpot, as well as California-based operations that resell puppies bred elsewhere. This could, in theory, stop brokers like Steve Kruse and JAKS Puppies from selling to people and businesses into the state of California.
But here is our perspective: This seems scarily unenforceable and out of the scope of a state agency to investigate.
California doesn't have jurisdiction to inspect or fine out of state brokers and they certainly don't have the time to inspect every single puppy sale coming into California and then cross-reference the sale with the place of origin to determine if the puppy was born there or not. Unfortunately, those drafting the bill never once reached out to us for our perspective or research into the very topic they were hoping to have an impact on. Could this still help animals and consumers? Possibly, but it is truly going to fall on our research team to stay on top of what sales are happening in California in order to file the proper complaints.
To read more about the bill, click here: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/california-tightens-leash-puppy-sales-000337313.html
Here is an excerpt from our recent interview with the LA times regarding the signing of this bill:
"Enforcement will now fall on nonprofits like ours to monitor and report issues that we see, in hopes that the agencies act," said Mindi Callison, head of the Iowa-based anti-puppy-mill nonprofit Bailing Out Benji.
Callison said lawmakers should next turn their focus to requiring California breeders to be licensed, similar to standards in Iowa, Missouri and other states. California does not have a statewide licensing program, instead relying on local jurisdictions for oversight. While some cities and counties require breeders to be licensed and inspected, little information is available online to help consumers vet them.
"There is a higher risk of dogs being kept in inhumane conditions in states where there are no regulations to follow and have no eyes on them," Callison said.
