Puppy Mills Go Underground with Alene Tchekmedyian and Melody Gutierrez

Our Hen House: Vegan & Animal Rights Movement | Stories from the Frontlines of Animal Liberation

California’s ban on the sale of puppies in pet stores solved the puppy mill issue for the state, right? Not so fast! LA Times’ investigative reporters Melody Gutierrez and Alene Tchekmedyian join us this week to discuss all they uncovered in their deep dive into the dark underbelly of the puppy trade in California. Also, Midge Raymond and John Yunker of Eco-Lit books tell us about their latest mystery-thriller, Devil’s Island.

ABOUT OUR GUESTS

Melody Gutierrez and Alene Tchekmedyian are investigative reporters at the Los Angeles Times. They recently co-authored an investigation into California’s brutal underground market for puppies.

• Inside California’s brutal underground market for puppies: Neglected dogs, deceived owners, big profits
• Did your dog come from the puppy pipeline?
• California’s underground puppy trade ‘raises serious alarms’ and demands for state action

RESOURCES

• • Our Taste for Flesh Has Exhausted the Earth
  • Pro-Animal Awards website
  • EcoLit Books website
  • Midge Raymond & John Yunker’s website
  • Devil’s Island on bookshop.org
  • photo © 2024 Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times

INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT

We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here to read this episode's interview.

_____________________________________________

Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today.

Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review!

Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series.

Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or X (formerly Twitter).

The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.