Welcome Dog Lovers!  Today’s interview features Pete Paxton, an Animal cruelty investigator who has gone undercover into over 700 puppy mills, documenting the connection between the stores we buy puppies from and the sources that supply them. Along the way, he's rescued dogs that were neglected and abused, and learned how to rehabilitate them into trusting and loved family members. Pete, how did you get into this line of work? What exactly is a puppy mill and how do they operate? How many puppy mills are in operation at any given time in the US?  How do they get shut down? Are many disguised as rescues? How do you get access into these puppy mills? How many of these places have you infiltrated? And in addition to the puppy mills, there are people selling animals (often stolen) to laboratories right? How are your investigations funded? Can you give your thoughts on the Animal Welfare Act?  It’s existed for over 53 yrs, why has it never been fully implemented? What has been your biggest bust?  Can you describe the conditions in these places? Where can people go to actually see your undercover footage? Don’t the pet shop owners realize where the puppies are coming from? If we want to bring a new dog into our home, how do we do our homework to make sure we’re not getting a puppy mill dog? Pete mentioned the Companion Animal Protection Society Pete mentioned taking action with Grey2KUSA H.R. 7826 (Federal Bill) and ending greyhound racing nationwide Pete’s book: Rescue Dogs: Where They Come From, Why They Act the Way They Do, and How to Love Them Well  We appreciate our sponsor: CritterZone As a Wag out Loud listener you can use code WOL1at checkout to get $15 off of your purchase Thanks for Listening! Thanks so much for tuning in again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the Bark About it section. Or you can click on the social media buttons to share an episode. Special thanks to Pete for being on the show. Catch you next time! Also, don’t forget to Subscribe for FREE and please leave a review: Apple Podcasts | Android | Spotify I Stitcher I iHeartRADIO