For years, Pet Stop and its supporters have insisted that Frankie is well cared for and that animal welfare is central to its business.

So we decided to look more closely at where Pet Stop gets the puppies it sells.

Through a Kansas open records request, we obtained official animal transport records showing that Pet Stop receives puppies from Puppies Extraordinaire, LLC, a high-volume commercial dog breeder and distributor in Whiting, Kansas.

USDA records show that Puppies Extraordinaire has housed hundreds—and historically more than 1,000—dogs at a time. Inspectors have documented dogs with untreated or inadequately addressed dental disease, puppies’ feet and legs falling through wire flooring, broken enclosures, rusted and sharp metal, dirty food receptacles, and sanitation problems.

Based on its scale, pet-store distribution model, and documented conditions, Puppies Extraordinaire fits the widely recognized definition of a puppy mill.

This is not an isolated issue. It is part of the same pattern we have seen with Frankie: animals treated as products, attractions, and sources of profit rather than individuals with complex physical, social, and emotional needs.

Pet Stop chooses to buy puppies from a massive commercial breeding operation. Pet Stop also chooses to keep Frankie isolated in a cage inside its store rather than accept a standing offer of placement at an accredited sanctuary.

Those choices make one thing clear:

Animal welfare is not Pet Stop’s priority—not for the puppies it sells, and not for Frankie.

More information about the puppy mill here: https://tinyurl.com/3y3ax5xh

Upcoming and highly relevant: APESH*T, a new zine from longtime zine editor and media critic Carrie McLaren, takes a sharp, strange, and deeply necessary look at the sordid relationship between humans and other primate species.

The zine focuses on the American history of “service monkeys,” including Helping Hands, the organization that placed capuchins in people’s homes for 42 years — long after the concept had proven to be a scientific, logistical, and moral failure.

For those following Frankie’s story, this history matters. Capuchins have been repeatedly taken from their own lives, families, and social worlds to serve human interests — in homes, businesses, entertainment, research, and other forms of captivity. APESH*T uses weird history, humor, and sharp critique to help more people think seriously about what humans have done to other primates, and what we owe them now.

Print copies will be mailed in July and available in bookstores in mid-September.

Preorders are available now at a discount:

https://orbooks.com/catalog/ape-shit/

Carrie McLaren published the zine Stay Free! from 1993 to 2008 and is the co-author, with Jason Torchinsky, of Ad Nauseam: A Survivor’s Guide to American Consumer Culture. She lives in Brooklyn with two human and one nonhuman animal, and posts on Bluesky at @monkeywire.bsky.social.

(May 2026) The first Free Frankie billboard is officially up in Kansas — just one mile from Pet Stop, where Frankie has spent nearly two decades confined in a cage.

This billboard is a public call to the community: Frankie deserves more than isolation. He deserves fresh air, space, enrichment, and the chance to live out the rest of his life in an accredited sanctuary.

Sanctuary placement is possible. Community pressure matters. And Frankie’s story is no longer hidden.

(February 2026) While things may look quiet from the outside, we are actively working behind the scenes on multiple fronts to secure Frankie’s freedom.

Here’s what’s happening:

Local Legislation

We are exploring municipal and state-level policy solutions — including models like the ordinance passed in Prairie Village and other Kansas communities that already ban the private ownership of primates. Frankie’s situation highlights why these laws matter.

Federal Reform

We are supporting national efforts to end the private primate trade by backing the Captive Primate Safety Act, federal legislation aimed at curbing the dangerous and inhumane private ownership of primates in the United States. Real change requires structural solutions — and we’re committed to pushing for them. https://www.npr.org/.../captive-primate-safety-act-aims...

Two Billboards Approved

Not one — but two billboards are coming to Shawnee, Kansas.

They will go up in the next couple of months. Keep your eyes open. The message is simple: Frankie deserves sanctuary, not a store.

A Short Film in Production

We are working with a filmmaker to create and distribute a short documentary about Frankie. His story deserves to be seen — not just locally, but nationally. This film will help shift the narrative from novelty to justice.

A Sanctuary Still Waiting

Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation has renewed their willingness to take Frankie in. A respected sanctuary is ready where Frankie’s quality of life could improve dramatically. What stands in the way is not possibility — it is permission. https://www.wildlife-rescue.org/

We won’t give up until Frankie is in a sanctuary.

Because no social animal should live in solitary confinement when they don’t have to.

Because isolation is not enrichment.

Because captivity for entertainment is not care.

And we will keep working — strategically, persistently, and together — until he is as free as he can be.

(September, 2025) We’ve just published our Open Letter to the Kansas Pet Animal Advisory Board (KPAAB) calling on board members—and especially Greg Smith, the board’s president and Frankie’s owner—to act in Frankie’s best interest and allow him to be moved to an accredited sanctuary.

The letter has already gained the support of primatologists, animal welfare experts, and community members who all agree: keeping a highly social monkey like Frankie in solitary confinement inside a small cage is unacceptable and harmful.

This is an important step in holding KPAAB accountable. As a body tasked with guiding animal welfare policy in Kansas, its members should be leaders in humane treatment—not setting an example of neglect and captivity.

📄 Read the open letter here: kcactionforanimals.org/open-letter-to-kpaab 

We’re thrilled to share that The Kansas City Star has featured Frankie in today’s top story (July 25, 2025)! This marks a major milestone in our campaign, bringing even more public attention to Frankie’s plight and the urgent need to get him to sanctuary.

This coverage is a testament to the growing momentum and public outcry demanding freedom for Frankie after 18 years in solitary confinement at Pet Stop. We’re grateful to every supporter who’s helped amplify his story.

Read the article, share it widely, and keep the pressure on. Frankie deserves better — and together, we’re making sure his story can’t be ignored.

Big news: as of February 21, 2024, Pet Stop applied for a Class B license and passed their first re-license inspection. This means they are now considered ready to be licensed under the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) and are officially under USDA jurisdiction.

What does this mean for Frankie?

It means we finally have a clear legal path forward. Under the AWA, the USDA now has the authority to ensure Frankie is being treated in accordance with federal regulations — and we believe they may already be in violation.

Here’s why we’re filing a complaint:

Frankie, a highly social capuchin monkey, is kept completely alone, without even visual or auditory contact with other monkeys. This may sound obviously cruel — and it is — but it’s also technically only allowed under strict conditions.

According to USDA Animal Welfare Regulations (9 CFR Part 3, Subpart D), facilities must address the “psychological well-being” of nonhuman primates. These rules encourage social housing as the default and explicitly state:

“The environmental enhancement plan must include specific provisions to address the social needs of nonhuman primates of species known to exist in social groups in nature.”

In other words: monkeys should not be kept in isolation unless there is a valid, written reason. That reason must:

• Be justified in writing by the attending veterinarian

• Be reviewed and updated at least every 30 days

So far, we have no evidence that Pet Stop has provided any such documentation. That means: They may already be in violation of federal law.

We are in the process of filing an official complaint with the USDA. We’re demanding that they investigate whether Frankie’s continued solitary confinement violates AWA regulations — and we won’t stop until he’s released to sanctuary.

We'll be meeting at Farm to Able Sanctuary on May 4th at 12:00 pm. Join us to get updates on the campaign, contribute ideas, and hang out with some really cool animals. This is a family-friendly event, so feel free to bring children, partners, and friends along! Located at 23100 E Strode Rd, Independence MO 64015. 

Big news! As we continue our fight to get Frankie the life he deserves in a sanctuary, we’re excited to announce that our campaign is now partnering with In Defense of Animals! With their support, we’re bringing even more strength and strategy to this effort.

3:00 PM to 5:00 PM - Meet in front of Overland Park Christian Church: 7600 W 75th St, Overland Park, KS 66204. Materials for flyering will be provided. Afterward, we will have a campaign meeting at Cardboard Corner Cafe.

7:00 PM to 9:00 PM - Turnsol Books, 1664 Broadway Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64108 

3:00 PM to 5:00 PM - Rochester Brewing & Roasting Co. 2129 Washington St, Kansas City, MO 64108