Authorities move to shut down 'national puppy laundering ring'

CHICAGO - An alleged "national puppy laundering ring" that supplied dogs to Chicago pet shops could be shut down following a Chicago Tribune report last year that exposed how the stores were selling pure-bred and designer pets, despite the city's anti-puppy mill ordinance.

In a civil complaint filed Monday, Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller accused an animal shelter based in Britt, Iowa, of consumer fraud and alleged it's a front for a for-profit canine wholesaler in the same small town. Miller said his office's nine-month investigation found the owners of J.A.K.'S Puppies started Hobo K-9 Rescue in 2016 as a way to provide pricey pups to businesses in California and Chicago, where laws require pet stores to sell only shelter animals.

Miller asked Iowa courts to order Hobo K-9 Rescue to cease operation, saying it abused its authority under the state's nonprofit laws. He is seeking