Our new breeder search engine makes it easier than ever to research licensed dog breeders at the state and federal level before bringing a puppy into your family. This nationwide tool was created to empower consumers and advocates with clear, accessible information so they can make informed, ethical decisions when looking for a dog or educating others about responsible sourcing.
At Bailing Out Benji, we believe transparency changes everything. Too often, families unknowingly purchase puppies from breeders with long histories of animal welfare violations simply because that information is buried, fragmented, or difficult to access. This same lack of transparency also makes it harder for advocates to educate the public, hold bad actors accountable, and push for stronger protections for dogs. Puppy mills and irresponsible breeders rely on that lack of visibility- so we decided to change that.
This breeder search engine puts critical facts at your fingertips. Whether you’re researching a specific breeder, investigating where a local pet store sources its puppies, or looking for reliable, shareable data to support advocacy campaigns, presentations, or community education, you can quickly uncover inspection reports, licensing details, enforcement actions, and documented violations in one centralized place.
By making breeder data easy to find and understand, we’re helping families protect themselves while giving advocates a powerful tool to inform, educate, and drive systemic change that prevents suffering before it starts.
The methodology for this search engine includes monthly tracking of the USDA’s search engine in order to update any business information, dog counts, or violations. Our team has also begun updating state-licensed breeder information on a rotating basis (if the states having breeding oversight) in order to give as much information as possible.
We are currently tracking 2,354 USDA licensed dog and cat breeders and 2,091 state-licensed dog and cat breeders. We are also tracking 244 USDA dog brokering facilities and 54 state-licensed dealers.
The search engine reflects that data and will be updated on a 6-month basis in order to reflect any recent changes. It is important to note that we are only going to report on violations that occurred within the last 5 years, unless the breeder has a long history of violations. The map and the figures below do not reflect the number of unlicensed breeders that sell through pet stores, brokers, and online brokering websites.
Why is this so important?
Because our research shows that:
[41%] of the licensed breeders we are tracking have state or federal violations in the last 5 years.
[36%] of the licensed breeders who supplied pet stores in the last three years had state or federal violations.
[42%] of the licensed breeders we have found to be supplying online brokering websites had state or federal violations.
[32%] of breeders who we have found to be supplying dog brokers in the last three years had state or federal violations.
The odds are stacked against the public when it comes to finding a safe and humane breeder to buy from. This is why it is extremely important to use as many resources as you can in order to do your research before you buy. Click here to read more tips about finding a humane breeder and don’t forget to double-check their inspection history here before you buy.
Before you buy, know who you’re buying from.
Do your research. Save lives.
Think Benji Before You Buy.
This searchable platform is the first of its kind- and it’s free for anyone to use. The research and time it took to build this search engine, however, was extremely costly. Please consider making a donation to support our work.
Users of our search engine agree to the Terms of Use