Puppy Mill Action Week is May 4-10 this year. If you don’t know what a puppy mill is, you may wish you’d never learned such a thing exists. But ignoring an issue doesn’t help stop it, so we’re helping to raise awareness of puppy mills and what you can do to help.

What is a Puppy Mill? 

Not all dog breeders are bad. But some dog breeders keep breeding dogs and puppies in deplorable conditions with very little concern for their safety, health, and well-being.

The ASPCA defines a puppy mill a large scale commercial dog breeding operation that places profit over the well-being of its dogs- who are often severely neglected- and acts without regard to responsible breeding practices.

 

 

Puppy mill breeders often produce generations of dogs with genetic defects or diseases because their dogs continue to breed without proper medical care. The goal for these breeders is to produce as many puppies as possible for the highest profits. These puppies may be the result of inbreeding, may be bred from aggressive dogs, may be poorly socialized, or may be sold before they are weaned. The breeding dogs are often bred regardless of their age, medical condition, or safety. Puppy mill puppies are often found in pet stores, and are sold without a contract or a plan for spaying/neutering. There is no screening process for purchasing puppy mill puppies sold in pet stores.

 

Responsible Pet Stores and Breeders

Responsible pet stores may offer a space in their store for “adoptable dogs” or cats to be featured from a local humane society or rescue group. These dogs may require a purchase price that refunds the group for the medical care and upkeep of the dog while in the group’s care. But these dogs also require an application for adoption, a veterinarian’s reference, and sometimes even a home inspection before they are adopted out. This is NOT the same as buying a dog from a pet store where the purchase price goes toward the profit of the store and dogs are sold without any concern for how they will be cared for after the sale.

One of the absolute saddest things about puppy mills is the dogs kept for breeding. These poor dogs are keep in wire-bottom cages, covered in filth, deprived of affection and medical care and may go without clean water and nutritious food. They may be flea and lice infested or have other parasites, have medical conditions, and be bred repeatedly until they are too weak to survive. They live out their lives knowing only cruelty and neglect and pain.

Responsible breeders often follow similar procedures as your local humane society. They allow you to visit the breeding site, meet the puppy’s parents, and provide ongoing support after the sale in case you have questions or need to return your puppy for any reason. They provide a contract, a return policy, a guarantee, and medical records for each and every puppy they sell. Responsible breeding guidelines are available here.

Where Are These Puppy Mills? 

According to the ASPCA:

Today, Missouri is considered the leading puppy mill state in the country. Over time, puppy mills have spread geographically. The highest concentration is in the Midwest, but there are also high concentrations in other areas, including Pennsylvania, Ohio and upstate New York. Commercial dog breeding is very prevalent among Amish and Mennonite farmers, with pockets of Amish dog breeders found throughout the country, including in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and parts of Wisconsin.

At any given point in time, there are typically between 2,000 and 3,000 USDA-licensed breeders (commonly referred to as puppy mills) operating in the United States. However, this number does not take into consideration the number of breeders not required to be licensed by the USDA or the number of breeders operating illegally without a license. Because so many of these breeders are operating without oversight, it’s impossible to accurately track them or to know how many there truly are. The ASPCA estimates that there could be as many as 10,000 puppy mills in the United States.

 

Take Action Against Puppy Mills

What Can I do to Help? 

Take the pledge. Pledge that you’ll never shop in a store that sells puppies—even if you’re just buying food or toys. Yes, these puppies need homes, too, but when puppies don’t sell right away, pet stores are forced to reduce prices, which results in lower profits from puppies and fewer puppies ordered from puppy mills the following month.

Join the Advocacy Brigade. You’ll receive alerts that make it easy to fight for laws that protect dogs in puppy mills.

Adopt a mill survivor. Puppy mill survivors often need patient, loving adopters who can help them learn to trust people. Many breed-specific rescue organizations offer responsible, screened adoptions of puppy mill puppies and surviving breeding dogs. You can still get a purebred breed, but adopt from a responsible breeder or rescue organization. Be sure to check your local humane society and dog pound as well. Pure breed dogs end up homeless and living in the streets every day.

Spread awareness about puppy mills on social media. Talk to your friends and family about puppy mills, and vote for legislation in your area that protects dogs from abusive situations, including puppy mills. If you suspect a puppy mill is operating in your area, report your concerns to your local humane officer for investigation.