This month, the Humane Society of the United States released The Horrible Hundred 2015 – A Sampling of Problem Puppy Mills in the United States report.
The report exposes the horrible conditions in puppy mill dogs.
Everybody loves puppies. The demand for puppies remains high so puppy mills keep breeding. The Humane Society’s May 2015 report shows that puppy mills are still a persistent problem in the US. The report describes horrible conditions that state or USDA inspectors personally witnessed: a mother and her days-old puppies found in a dirt hole, a breeder who personally performed ear crops and tail docking without veterinary training, and other breeders who casually describe “euthanizing” unwanted dogs with a gunshot to the head.
Related: Dog Breeder Law Loophole Found In Washington And Oregon
In the report, the Humane Society says:
“Most of the listed puppy mills operate under names intended to lull consumers into a false sense of security—“Country Pets,” “Barb’s Pups,” “KuddlyKritters Kennel,” “Heaven’s Blessings,” and even “In God’s Hands Kennel,” where dogs were found living in feces with frozen water in their bowls. There is one bright spot, however: at least two-dozen puppy mills identified in the last two reports are no longer operating.
Unfortunately, when it comes to bad breeders, this report is not and cannot be comprehensive. It is merely a small, yet representative sampling of the puppy mills in the United States —and a reminder not to be fooled by a cute name, a USDA license or registration papers. No matter what the sellers say, when it comes to breeders who sell online, to pet stores or at flea markets, puppy mills are not the exception. They are almost always the rule.”
The report names and shames the worst puppy mills by state and summarizes the national situation as follows:
Missouri and Kansas continue to have the greatest number of problem dealers for the third year in a row (23 in Mo, 16 in KS), followed by Nebraska(14), Iowa (11), and Arkansas (7). Although an enhanced kennel law was proposed in Kansas earlier this year, it failed to pass the full House, and Missouri lawmakers have proposed bills year after year designed to weaken kennel oversight. This year’s list includes numerous “repeat offenders,” dealers who have been exposed in prior reports, yet whose inspection records continue to show cause for concern.
You can read the full report here.
Image source: USDA
Source: Humane Society of the United States
