Legal group urges IA AG to act against puppy mills

A California-based animal welfare group is asking Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird to investigate a puppy mill broker they accuse of breaking its previous agreement with the state.

The Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF), an animal rights group that focuses on using the law to protect animals, is urging Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird to investigate a well-known puppy mill broker in Iowa.

The broker—JAK’S Puppies Inc.—is accused of not following a legal agreement to stop selling puppies from puppy mills and misleading buyers about where their new puppies come from (a scheme called “puppy laundering”). This is often an attempt to get around local and state restrictions about selling dogs from puppy mills.  

Jolyn Noethe and Kimberly Dolphin, the owners of JAK’S, signed the legal agreement with the state of Iowa in 2020.

On December 18, 2024, ALDF sent a letter asking for Bird’s intervention.

“Despite agreeing to stop its puppy laundering activities, JAK’S Puppies has continued its illegal endeavor to bypass local and state regulations that were put in place to protect consumers and animals from the puppy mill industry,” said ALDF Senior Staff Attorney Ariel Flint in a press release.

The ALDF got copies of sales certificates through a public records request, and found that JAK’S Puppies is still selling dogs that came from puppy mills, despite restrictions in those states and localities.

They include:

• Critters Exotic Pets in Waco, Texas
• King Neptune’s Pet World in Morris and Shorewood, Illinois
• Miramar Pets of Miramar, Florida
• Puppy World in Olympia, Washington
• Puppy Dreams of Sherman, Texas
• Wet Kisses Pet Company of Lake Worth Beach, Florida

“These actions outline a clear breach of the judgment that JAKS Puppies agreed to in court,” the press release says.

The original lawsuit started in 2019, when Tom Miller was attorney general in Iowa.

The owners of JAK’S Puppies were accused of creating fake nonprofit animal rescues—”Hobo K9” and “Rescue Pets Iowa”—to hide the fact that their puppies came from puppy mills.

Puppy mills are commercial dog breeding businesses that prioritize breeding over animal welfare, and they often supply dogs to pet stores.

Both fake nonprofits were voluntarily dissolved because of an investigation and lawsuit brought by Attorney General Miller over the fraudulent sale of puppies out of state, which violates Iowa consumer protection laws.

More people are aware of puppy mills today, along with how owners treat the dogs—who are kept in cramped, often-unsanitary cages, and who lack care from veterinarians. As a result, many dogs are sick or injured or living with dirty water and bedding, and little or no access to the outdoors.

Several states and cities have banned the sale of puppy mill puppies in pet stores. Those include Illinois, Washington, and many cities in Florida and Texas.

“Given the Iowa Attorney General’s leadership in holding JAK’S Puppies accountable, we are hopeful that they will enforce the terms of the settlement agreement in order to guard against future unlawful behavior,” Flint said.

For years, Iowa puppy mills have regularly been investigated and cited by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). Iowa puppy mills are frequently called out by the Humane Society of the United States.