What is a “puppy mill”?
A “puppy mill” is a breeding facility that puts the profit ahead of the welfare of the dogs (and cats rabbits and other small animals). Think of it as a factory farm for puppies.
The adult animals are bred every heat cycle until their bodies give out. They are forced to live in cramped cages their entire lives, their paws never touching the ground. These parent dogs are not always fed healthy food or clean water and they are very rarely (if ever) seen by a vet for illness or injury.
The breeder puts little-to-no focus on the health or well-being of the adult dogs or puppies. These facilities aren’t genetically testing their breeding dogs to make sure they aren’t passing along hereditary issues. They aren’t keeping up with vaccines or taking their dogs to the veterinarian regularly. These facilities also don’t have a retirement plan for their dogs, they breed them until they are no longer profitable and then sell, donate, or destroy them.
A puppy mill can be obvious, or it can be well hidden.
A puppy mill can be a large-scale commercial dog breeding facility where profit is prioritized over the well-being of the animals.
A puppy mill can be a small breeder that keeps dozens of animals in their home in conditions that could be considered inhumane.
A puppy mill can be an unlicensed facility that operates without any state or federal oversight.
A puppy mill can also be a licensed facility with, or without, violations but keeps their dogs in inhumane conditions.
While not every breeder is a puppy mill, every puppy mill is a breeder, which is why it is critical that the public looks into the breeding facility their puppy came from before they buy. There is so much misinformation out there that it is hard to know what is right, unless you look into the breeder yourself.
What are the worst states when it comes to puppy mills?
The Midwest has the highest concentration of licensed dog breeders in the country for several reasons. The largest reason being that the states in the midwest have more licensing regulations than states on the coast. Minimum requirements for licensure varies by state, but a few of the states with the highest volume of dog breeders can be found below. For comparison, the minimum for USDA licensure is 5 breeding females.
Missouri- 3 breeding females
Iowa- 4 breeding adults
Illinois- 5 breeding females
Ohio- 6 breeding females
Indiana- 20 breeding females
USDA licensing is required for breeders who sell puppies sight-unseen (such as through brokers, online, or to pet stores) and sets minimum federal welfare standards, while state licensing applies to breeders based on individual state laws and may include additional or stricter requirements depending on the location.
Now to get to the question of “which state is the worst when it comes to puppy mills”? That answer is harder than you might think to answer. Some might immediately jump and say Missouri because they have the highest volume of licensed dog breeders, while our organization might point to Wisconsin, who has the highest percentage of breeders with violations. Neither take into account states like Arkansas or Tennessee that have no state regulation.
Instead of focusing on how many, we must get people to start talking about how to avoid them while buying. The number of confirmed puppy mills in the country won’t help consumers know how to avoid an unethical breeder. For tips on how to do your research before you buy, click here.
Where do puppy mills sell?
Everywhere. Puppy mills sell everywhere.
In the advocacy space, people conflate the definition of puppy mill with how they sell, when the reality is that puppy mills sell through every outlet they can in order to sell as many puppies as possible. We see puppy mills sell through the known channels- like pet stores and online brokering websites. But we also see them selling through newspaper advertisements, Craigslist, social media, and more.
When we only focus our educational efforts on how puppy mills sell, we leave out a lot of important information that consumers need to avoid puppy mills and other unethical breeding operations.
Click on any of the links below to learn more about puppy mills and how to avoid them.
Bailing Out Benji is a small nonprofit organization that makes big changes with very few resources. Our research is used by the leading animal welfare organizations across the country, because what we do is so unique and important. To make a one time donation or to sign up to be a sustaining supporter to allow us to continue our various programs that expose the puppy mill industry, click the donate button below.