Puppy Mill – many people hear this term, but few are familiar with its true meaning.
So what exactly is a “Puppy Mill”? A puppy mill is a large commercial dog breeding business in which dogs are are constantly bred, over and over, and forced to live in deplorable conditions. You could say a Puppy Mill is a “farm” to grow puppies! The puppies are then sold to pet stores, either directly or through a middleman called a broker. In a Puppy Mill, the dogs all live in small cages their entire lives. Most of them have never walked in grass or been held by a human. They are viewed as “producers”. Theses cages are usually outside, so the dogs are exposed to extreme temperatures in summer and winter, rain, and snow, and they often don’t have clean water to drink. They walk on wire mesh so owners don’t have to “clean” the cages, and get sore paws. The cages are filthy with dog waste that doesn’t fall through the wire. Because the owners don’t prioritize the dogs’ health and well-being as they want to maximize profits with as little expense as possible, it is common for the puppies to have severe health issues, as a result of these poor housing conditions..
The US Humane Society says there are more than 10,000 puppy mills in the USA. So that adorable, cute puppy you see at the pet store might actually come from a puppy mill, even when the Pet Store owner says otherwise (“Oh my puppies come from a wonderful lady who breeds them on Long Island”). ITS A LIE. Likely in reality that adorable puppy really came from Arkansas (or elsewhere) from a Puppy Mill! And so your adorable puppy might have severe health issues after you take it home!
Until consumers stop purchasing puppies from pet stores, puppy mills will continue to exist. Puppy mills are not yet illegal, but many states have laws in place to protect people who purchase sick puppies. Check out our legislation page to learn about the laws in your state.
For more information about puppy mills, click here. Want to get a puppy or dog? Please check out your local ASPCA like ours here in: NYC ASCPA
(Note: The site is no longer being actively updated. Information provided here is for archival purposes and may not be current)
