Meet Mindi Callison and Nicole Galvan of Bailing Out Benji

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mindi Callison and Nicole Galvan.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
It wasn’t until college that I first encountered puppy mills or had even heard the term.

Having always adopted or found my family pets, I was taken completely by surprise when I walked into a Petland pet store. “I saw hundreds of puppies living in these aquariums with wiring flooring and I just knew I had to help. Sadly, I fell into the same trap that all uneducated animal lovers fall into. I ‘saved’ a puppy from those awful conditions.” Those “awful conditions” of the pet store would prove docile to me once I got a little farther down the road in my education on puppy mills.

The puppy I “saved” was a Siberian Husky and he cost me $1200. Knowing what I do now, I realize that I just left a hole to be filled by another puppy and I just perpetuated that cycle. But then, I was saving him. His cage was too small, his paws were sore and he was walking around in his own excrement. In my head, I had taken him from a bad environment and into a good one now, but it wasn’t until two weeks later when a local news station ran a story about puppy mills (and their connection to the very store I purchased Ozzy from) did I realize the depth and darkness of this puppy buying process. That his parents were left back at the mill suffering.

As were his grandparents and great-grandparents. That other from his litter were bought and sold in a sort of puppy trade. That his brothers and sisters might not have made it to even the conditions that the pet store offered. Through her experience, a movement was born.

It was just about 2 years later when I was watching the local news when my life path was forever changed. A graphic scene played out on the screen in front of my eyes, as I watched a story about a Des Moines, Iowa woman raising dogs in a hotel room. They were living in terrible conditions, eating cigarette butts, and one of them had just given birth to a litter of puppies. The worst part was that at the end of the story, the woman was not charged with anything serious. I was obviously horrified because my husband and I rescue black labs and lab mixes. I’ve always loved animals my entire life. I had no idea that if you actually hurt your dog, nothing was going to happen to you.

Iowa was (and still is) one of the worst states in the entire nation when it comes to puppy mills and laws protecting companion animals. The kicker was finding out that Dyvig’s Pet Shoppe in Ames, Iowa- a pet store mere blocks from my home- was selling dogs sourced from inhumane puppy mills. This only made, y feel more compelled to do something, say something and stop people from falling into the same trap I did. I am a preschool teacher by day, but at that moment I decided that I needed to make a difference for these dogs somehow. She took a look at the world around her, where it seemed like everyone was getting help, from the banks to the government, but not animals in need.

My big question was and still is ‘Why is no one bailing out the dogs?’ We don’t have laws protecting our companion animals against abuse, neglect and puppy mills and that will change if I have anything to say about it. That moment was when I started Bailing Out Benji in 2011, a blog to educate viewers about animal cruelty laws, and the puppy mill industry throughout the country. Now, almost 7 years later, what started as a small blog to spread awareness has grown into a national non-profit national effort to end puppy mill abuse, and to encourage responsible breeding practices, showcased in the documentary “Dog By Dog.”

After “Dog By Dog” hit Netflix and had screenings hosted around the world, other advocates started reaching out to me asking how they could get involved with Bailing Out Benji. Our first “out of state” team started in Austin, Texas and now we have active teams in 11 states, including right here in Phoenix! Our local team is extremely active in passing retail bans, fighting state legislation that protects pet stores and puppy mills; while still finding time to protest pet stores each weekend and fostering dogs for various rescues. Nicole Galvan, our Arizona Team leader is a force to be reckoned with! Nicole got involved after adopting a puppy mill survivor, June, and then working hard to pass “June’s Law” in Tempe, AZ which prohibited pet stores from selling puppies from puppy mills.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Nothing worth doing is ever easy. We have hit a lot of speed bumps along the way, but we have always come out on top. One of our biggest struggles has always been funding. As an entirely volunteer-based nonprofit, we rely solely on the donations of the general public to help keep our educational advocacy efforts going, as well as funding the vet care of puppy mill survivors that we have saved over the years. Trying to find time to host fundraisers or fill out grant applications has always been an issue, but one that we still try to work hard at!

And, of course, another issue we deal with is anger and animosity from the industry that we are fighting. Whether we have puppy mill owners trying to tackle us on social media or harassment from pet store owners, we always continue our educational efforts with kindness and compassion.

Please tell us about Bailing Out Benji.
We are a very small nonprofit organization that has less than 50 active volunteers who are spread out across 11 states. We are known for our militant protest efforts, as well as being a very energetic and positive organization. You will always see our volunteers out at events, rain/snow or sun, and we will be smiling and talking to everyone who walks by.

We are also very well known for doing BIG things on a small budget. We put billboards up, bus ads, newspaper ads, radio ads and just about everything else without spending a lot of money.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My family was always bouncing around from home to home and we never had much money growing up. One of my favorite memories of all time is when I was around 9 years old and it was Christmas. We had never had a Christmas or birthday with a lot of presents, but here we were, on Christmas morning with the bottom of our tree full of everything we ever could have dreamed of.

While my sister and I sat there opening presents in our pajamas, my family was watching on in tears. My mom was there, as was my aunt and uncle and three cousins. Which each gift, no matter how strange or out of place we found them to be, my family just kept crying happy tears. It wasn’t until years later that I found out my cousin Andy had organized a toy drive at his school to make sure my sister, Brandi, and I had something to open.

To this day, almost 20 years later, I can’t think about that memory without crying. But that is the embodiment of my family and our values- keep giving and make sure you leave the world a better place than it was when you arrived.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.bailingoutbenji.com
• Email: bailingoutbenji@gmail.com
• Instagram: @bailing_out_benji
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/bailingoutbenji
• Twitter: @bailingoutbenji

Image Credit:
All photos belong to Bailing Out Benji

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