Frequently Asked Questions

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1. What is The HSUS doing about puppy mills?

2. Are there any federal laws that regulate puppy mills?

3. There is a puppy mill in my area. How can I get the authorities to investigate and shut it down?

4. I bought a puppy and she got sick. What can I do?

5. I think my local pet store might be selling dogs from puppy mills. How can I find out?

6. Where can I find a list of known puppy mills?

7. Why can't we just outlaw puppy mills?

8. Isn't it against the law to sell a sick puppy?

9. What about anti-cruelty laws? Don't those affect puppy mills?

10. How are puppy mills regulated at the state level?

1. What is The HSUS doing about puppy mills?
The HSUS takes a stand against puppy mills on all possible levels, including supporting legislative changes, conducting investigations and litigation, and promoting public awareness and education. The HSUS also works with local authorities when called upon to help shut down the most abusive puppy mills.

But it's important to know that, in most cases, puppy mills are not illegal. In every state, a breeding kennel can legally keep dozens, even hundreds, of dogs in cages for their entire lives, as long as the dogs are given the basics of food, water, and shelter. While The HSUS is opposed to puppy mills, The HSUS can not shut down or raid legal businesses. The HSUS is not a government, law enforcement, or regulatory agency.

Because most puppy mills are not illegal, we need help from the public to put an end to the consumer demand for their "product." You can help The HSUS put a stop to puppy mills by getting your next dog from either:

1) an animal shelter or pet rescue group
2) a well-screened, responsible breeder.

Read more about adopting or buying a puppy at the Puppy Buying Tips page »

2. Are there any federal laws that regulate puppy mills?
In 1966 Congress passed the Animal Welfare Act, which outlines specific minimum standards of care for dogs, cats, and some other kinds of animals bred for commercial resale. The AWA is enforced by the United States Department of Agriculture. Under the AWA, certain large-scale commercial breeders are required to be licensed and regularly inspected by the USDA. But there are many inefficiencies and loopholes in the system.

Only large-scale commercial facilities that breed or broker animals for resale—to pet stores for example—are required to be licensed and inspected by the USDA because they are considered "wholesale" operations. Those that sell directly to the public—thousands of facilities that breed and sell just as many puppies as their wholesale counterparts—are not required to adhere to the Animal Welfare Act or to any federal humane care standards.

Inspection records obtained by The HSUS show that many USDA-licensed breeders get away with repeated violations of the Animal Welfare Act. These violators are rarely fined nor are their licenses suspended. Facilities with long histories of repeated violations for basic care conditions are often allowed to renew their licenses again and again. Over the years The HSUS has encouraged better staffing and funding for USDA inspection programs in order to increase enforcement capabilities.

Read about the cruelty documented at USDA regulated puppy mills at the The USDA Hall of Shame page »

For decades, The HSUS has been a leader in promoting ongoing legislative changes that would extend the reach of the Animal Welfare Act to include all large-scale breeders, not just wholesalers.

3. There is a puppy mill in my area. How can I get the authorities to investigate and it shut down?
First, please be aware that operating a commercial breeding kennel may not be illegal in your area. But if you have seen specific evidence of cruelty or neglect, such as animals without food and water, sick dogs who are not being treated, or dogs without adequate shelter from the elements, the first agency to contact is a local agency with law enforcement powers, such as the breeder's local humane society, animal control agency or police or sheriff's department. Prepare specific details of your complaint in advance, and get a case number or contact information related to your case. If you do not hear back from the local authorities within a week, please call them back to ask for an update. If you can't get local help for the situation or are not sure who to call, please contact the HSUS at stoppuppymills@humanesociety.org.

You may also wish to contact the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal Care Division and find out if the USDA licenses the facility owner. Only "wholesale" breeding facilities (those that sell puppies to other businesses who will in turn sell the puppies to the public) are required to be USDA licensed—this is a small portion of all the large-scale breeders in the country. A list of currently licensed breeders is available on the USDA/APHIS website.

If you have purchased a puppy and wish to report problems to The HSUS, please complete the Breeder Complaint form [PDF]. This form allows us to track data accurately and ensure that we have as much information as possible to help us in our fight to stop puppy mills.

4. I bought a puppy and she got sick. What can I do?
Step 1. Please take your puppy to a veterinarian as soon as possible, if you have not already done so. Save all records and receipts.

Step 2. Prepare your complaint. It is imperative that you put together as much information as possible to support your case. Please gather as many of the following items as possible:

• Name, address and phone number of breeder or pet store
• Name of kennel (if any)
• Copies of your veterinary bills
• Copies of your purchase agreements or bill of sale
• Copies of any registration papers given to you at sale
• Photographs or other documentation of your dog's medical conditions
• A necropsy report from a veterinarian, if the dog has passed away
• A brief timeline of events related to the dog's sale and health problems

Step 3. Contact the breeder or pet store where you purchased the dog. Your purchase agreement or store or breeder policy may provide you with some financial recourse. Please note that many sellers will encourage you to return the puppy for an exchange or refund, but that may not be in the best interests of your puppy. You may have other reimbursement options that do not require you to return the pet. Contact your state Attorney General's office if you feel a law has been broken. For specific advice on how to handle your particular case, consult a local attorney or consider going to small claims court.

View an interactive map to learn more about laws in your state that affect puppy mills and the sale of pets »

Step 4. Complete the Breeder Complaint form. This form allows us to track data accurately and ensure that we have as much information as possible to help us in our fight to stop puppy mills. It allows The HSUS to help other puppy buyers as well as report chronic abusers to relevant agencies. This information is being compiled for reference and statistical information, and will help us gather general information needed to advocate against puppy mills. Please note that The HSUS is not a government or law-enforcement agency.

5. I think my local pet store might be selling dogs from puppy mills. How can I find out?
Most pet store puppies come from puppy mills. Ask the pet store employee to show you the paperwork identifying the puppy's breeder and origins. If he or she refuses to do so or is reluctant to show you the paperwork, consider that a red flag. If you do inspect the paperwork, you may notice that the puppy has been shipped from out of state, often by a "broker" service. These are just a few indications that the store's dog may have come from a puppy mill. The bottom line is that responsible breeders do not sell dogs through pet stores, because they want to personally meet and interview the person who will be caring for their puppy.

6. Where can I find a list of known puppy mills?
For many reasons, The HSUS does not publish a list of known puppy mills. There are literally thousands of puppy mills in existence all over the country, and most of them are not required to register with any one agency. There are so many unregulated puppy mills that to publish a list of the known or "problem" mills may give the public a false impression that any establishment that is not on the list is "safe." Nothing could be farther from the truth, however. In fact, some problematic puppy mills have been known to change their names and locations frequently to evade their reputations.

7. Why can't we just outlaw puppy mills?
Legislation is key to ensuring lasting change for animals. But just passing a law to ban puppy mills—an idea that's often proposed—isn't that easy. Anyone who has worked on legislation—even on something as basic as stopping abuse—can tell you that bringing a bill from an idea into a law is a long and difficult process.

The commercial pet industry has a lobbying force with significant financial resources at its command and it consistently fights against measures that would improve animal care standards.

Scare tactics are also used by the pet industry to frighten small breeders into thinking that laws will affect them in a negative way. This strategy has helped the industry's commercial kennels evade even minimal improvements in animal care.

Since the early 1980s, The HSUS has been working to change this by fighting for strengthened provisions and broader enforcement of the federal Animal Welfare Act.

We have also worked at the state level on other laws to protect puppy mill dogs from neglect and exploitation. Sadly, though, some purebred dog registries and kennel clubs (which often receive registration fees from puppy mills) and other animal-use industry groups have lobbied heavily against these changes, often fatally weakening the legislation.

Time and again, protectors of the big-money puppy mill industry have worked hard to prevent even the most modest improvements from being signed into law.

The HSUS will continue to support legislation to alleviate the suffering of animals in puppy mills. We ask reputable breeders to join us in this effort because they, too, want to change conditions for dogs who are warehoused into a life of misery on a puppy mill.

Read about what you can do to help stop puppy mills at the What You Can Do page»

8. Isn't it against the law to sell a sick puppy?
Because puppies from puppy mills are more likely to have health problems due to poor care, many consumers are faced with significant veterinary bills or even the death of their puppy soon after purchase.

In an attempt to hold breeding facilities and sellers responsible, several states have passed consumer protection laws that specifically address puppies. These laws, often called "puppy lemon laws," have good intentions and theory behind them, but they have specific limitations that often render them ineffective.

When passed, it was the hope of legislators and those working on the bills that financial loss would spur breeders and sellers to improve the care they give to puppies and breeding adults. But the laws are so seldom used that those changes have not occurred.

Under most of the laws, the dog owner is offered a refund, another puppy, or reimbursement of veterinary bills up to the purchase price of the puppy within a certain period of time.

When faced with a sick or dying puppy, most people choose not give the puppy back but rather focus their efforts on saving the animal. A common fear is that the seller will simply destroy the puppy rather than invest the money and time into restoring the animal's health. Should the puppy die, most families are not ready to risk the heartbreak of yet another sick puppy from the same seller, so providing them with another puppy is not an acceptable option.

Because many puppy buyers are focusing on their dog, they often miss their opportunity to receive reimbursement of veterinary bills while the window of opportunity is quickly closing. Many consumers are completely unaware of existing laws, as they are not actively discussed by sellers.

View an interactive map to learn more about laws in your state that affect puppy mills and the sale of pets »

9. What about anti-cruelty laws? Don't those affect puppy mills?
Although all 50 states have anti-cruelty laws intended to prevent neglect and mistreatment of dogs, most mass-breeding facilities continue to operate in ways that are physically and emotionally damaging to animals. In many cases, dogs in puppy mills are kept in conditions under which an individual pet dog would never be allowed to suffer.

Some local humane societies and governmental agencies investigate conditions at puppy mills and intervene to rescue the animals if necessary. In many cases, though, it's not clear whether the local shelter has legal authority to step in; even when employees are empowered to investigate, the sheer magnitude of the problem may significantly exceed the organization's human, physical, and financial resources.

Shelters that have been able to intervene on the animals' behalf suddenly find themselves with a large number of animals in need of immediate veterinary care. Additionally, the shelter is responsible for housing the dogs throughout what can often be a lengthy legal process. The cost for veterinary care and basic food and housing can run into the tens of thousands of dollars within weeks of seizing as few as 50 dogs from a poorly run facility.

Most shelters consider protecting these vulnerable animals part of their mission and are generally eager to try and remove animals from such poor conditions. It is important to remember though, that "regular" shelter operations do not stop when a raid is conducted. The shelter will still need to be open to the public and will still need to provide care and housing for the normal number of animals being brought to it by the community. If a shelter is able to enter an inhumane breeding operation and remove dogs, financial and community support during the aftermath is essential to ensuring the animals receive the help they need.

10. How are puppy mills regulated at the state level?

View an interactive map to learn more about laws in your state that affect puppy mills and the sale of pets »

Updated July 17, 2007