About Puppy mills

What is a Puppy Mill?

A puppy mill is a large scale commercial dog breeding operation where dogs live in cages and are bred repeatedly, producing puppies to be sold in pet stores across the country – and online throughout the world.  There may be as few as 100 breeding dogs or as many as 800 breeding dogs housed at a single facility. It is estimated there are approximately 10,000 puppy mills in the USA, the majority being located in the Midwest.  About one-third of these mills are approved and licensed by the USDA, as dogs are legally classified as ‘agriculture’.

Most of the dogs live in wire cages in buildings, barns and sheds which often have no heating or cooling. The dogs are not socialized, they receive little or no veterinary care, they do not have beds or toys, and they never get to run and play in the grass – some dogs never even see the sunlight – and though they yearn for it, they never receive love.

Puppy mill dogs drink from “rabbit-type” water bottles and cannot lap water normally to flush their mouths. This allows bacteria to remain, leading to severe dental issues; the most extreme (but not uncommon) is loss of jaw bone. Long-haired breeds are never groomed and become painfully matted, causing horrible infections. The floors of the cages in which they live are wire and the dogs’ nails are seldom cut, resulting in deformities and painful sores. Life in a cage produces a list of other physical conditions far too long to elaborate on: missing eyes, broken tails, spinal injuries, unrepaired broken bones, heartworm disease, ticks and parasites … to name just a few.

The female dogs are bred at every heat cycle and their puppies are usually taken from them too young. When a dog is no longer productive, typically at 5-7 years old, standard procedure is to destroy it.

USDA License = Wholesale License

A USDA license is required of all dog/cat breeders who have five or more breeding females and sell the puppies/kittens at the wholesale* level – either to a broker or directly to a pet store.

*A wholesale transaction is the transfer of a dog/cat for compensation to a person or business that then resells that animal to the end consumer.

Breeder -> Pet Store
Breeder -> Puppy Broker -> Pet Store

Note: A USDA license is also required in retail sales (direct to end consumer) where the buyer, seller, and dog are not physically together and the transaction is made sight-unseen (e.g. online puppy sellers).

Breeder -> End Consumer (sight-unseen, not an in-person transaction)

Breeders who sell only in a face-to-face transaction, regardless of the number of breeding females, do not need a USDA license.

USDA licensed breeding facilities are only required to adhere to Animal Welfare Act basic survivalist standards, NOT to humane standards.

When you purchase a puppy or kitten from a USDA licensed breeder, it DOES NOT guarantee quality or humane breeding. USDA licensed is often referred to as a “license for puppy mill cruelty.

Puppy Mills are USDA Approved

An estimated 167,388 breeding dogs are currently living in USDA (United States Department of Agriculture)-licensed commercial facilities for breeding purposes this very moment.*

A USDA license = a puppy wholesale license. Any dog breeder who wishes to sell to a pet store or to consumers over the Internet with five or more breeding females must be licensed with the USDA.

The USDA regulates these facilities according to the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), the Minimal Standards of Care at breeding facilities:

  • Over 2 million puppies are bred in mills each year.
  • There is no limit to the number of dogs on the premises. A puppy mill could have hundreds or thousands of dogs.
  • There is no requirement on the number of staff that must be available to care for the dogs.
  • Dogs may be kept in stacked cages.
  • Mesh or wire flooring is allowed.
  • Dogs may be forced to relieve themselves in their cages.
  • Dogs may be confined in spaces only six inches larger than their bodies, not including the tail.
  • A dog may be caged 24 hours a day for his or her entire life, only removed from the cage to be bred.
  • There is no exercise requirement if dogs are housed with other dogs and certain minimal size requirements are met for the dog’s enclosure.
  • Dogs can be housed indoors or out with minimal temperature regulation.
  • Human interaction is not required.
  • Breeding females at the first heat cycle and every heat cycle thereafter is permissible.
  • Unwanted animals may be killed in a variety of ways or auctioned off.
  • Many of the AWA’s requirements are vague. The AWA leaves it up to the mill owners to determine what is “adequate”.
  • The USDA currently has an estimated 110 inspectors on staff to inspect all the facilities under its supervision, not just commercial dog breeders and brokers.
  • There is no transparency to consumers or the public about the results of USDA inspections.

Sources: Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), The Puppy Mill Project, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)

Puppy Mills – Leading Cause of Shelter Overpopulation Crisis

If puppy mills didn’t exist, there would be 75% fewer dogs in shelters and rescues.

Unfortunately, there is a lack of statistical data available surrounding the commercial dog breeding industry since much of it is unregulated, so most figures can only be estimated.

The annual estimated percentage of dogs in shelters/rescues which come from puppy mills, directly and indirectly, is broken down as follows:

  • 6%  – dogs purchased directly from pet stores who obtain their puppies from commercial breeders
  • 11% – dogs purchased directly from online websites operated by commercial breeders
  • 13% – dogs purchased directly from commercial breeders
  • 2% – dogs removed from or relinquished by commercial breeders
  • 17% – dogs which are the result of the irresponsible breeding of dogs purchased from pet stores
  • 26% – dogs which are the result of the irresponsible breeding of dogs purchased from online websites operated by commercial breeders

On the above list, since the initial 24% of dogs originated from puppy mills were unaltered, there is the fair assumption that they contributed even more to the shelter intake statistics with unwanted backyard breeding, litters and strays.

The figure of 75% is derived from a combination of statistical data gathered from reputable and reliable sources, including The Humane Society of the United States, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, American Veterinary Medical Association, American Pet Products Association, Dog by Dog, The Puppy Mill Project, International Fund for Animal Welfare, and others.

So, how would removing the puppy mill source affect the overpopulation of dogs and reduce shelter admission statistics?

  • Impulse purchasing of a puppy will be suppressed. It’s proven that impulse purchasing leads to shelter relinquishments.
  • Animal welfare activists who previously fought puppy mills will target irresponsible backyard breeders.
  • As the dog overpopulation is reduced there will be fewer unaltered dogs available for backyard breeding operations.
  • Compassion and concern for abused and neglected dogs will increase substantially as the public learns and understands the suffering that man’s best friend has endured.
  • Currently, more than 1 billion dollars are spent annually collecting, destroying and disposing of unwanted dogs in shelters. Can you imagine if that money could be focused on spay/neuter programs?
  • The public will become more aware and educated than ever before about responsible vs. irresponsible breeding. They will be more thoughtful, using planned decision-making when adding a dog to their family. They will demand and expect quality, healthy, humanely-bred puppies.

It’s not possible to fully substantiate the figure of 75% because of the inability to obtain exact figures, but using reliable statistics and detailed calculations, it’s an indisputable fact that puppy mills are the leading cause of the dog overpopulation crisis in the U.S. today.

Setting all figures aside, the ultimate issue is, truly, the overpopulation of dogs. If every dog was loved and wanted, 75% would actually be a rather conservative figure.

According to the ASPCA, approximately 3.3 million dogs enter U.S. shelters ever year. Of those, approximately 670,000 dogs are euthanized. Is there a pet overpopulation crisis? We believe the numbers speak for themselves and that puppy mills are the leading cause of this crisis.