Many puppies change hands before they ever reach a family. Puppy brokers sit in the middle of that chain, and they play a bigger role than most people realize.
We track 521 puppy brokers. Just 10 of them supplied 79% of the pet stores we’ve connected to a broker, and 96% of broker sales to pet stores cross state lines. Nearly 4 in 10 of the brokers we track once held a USDA license that has since ended.
Below is what we’ve found so far. We’re still documenting these connections, so the numbers will fluctuate as we go.
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A puppy broker is a business that buys puppies from breeders and resells them, usually to pet stores or directly to buyers online. The broker handles the sale for the breeder, so the buyer often never deals with the person who raised the puppy.
Brokers that resell dogs are generally required to hold a USDA dealer license. Of the brokers we track, 156 hold an active USDA license, while 194 once held one that has since ended. Some states also license brokers or dealers.
Brokers let a store buy many puppies from many breeders in a single shipment. Nine in 10 of the pet stores where we have identified suppliers bought through at least one broker, and just 10 brokers supplied 79% of the stores we have connected to a broker. Learn more about where pet store puppies come from.
Ask the seller for the breeder’s name and license number. If the only name you are given is a company rather than a breeder, or the USDA license number has a “B” in it (for example 43-B-1234), the puppy likely came through a broker. You can look up brokers in our Broker Directory.
On a puppy marketplace, breeders list their own puppies and handle the sale themselves. An online broker is a third party that handles the sale for the breeder, so the buyer pays the broker and the broker arranges delivery. See who is selling puppies online.
Our research team documents brokers using USDA and state licensee lists, USDA inspection reports, health certificates, and public records requests. These numbers reflect the connections we have confirmed so far, so the true numbers are likely higher.
