According to statistics provided by the Humane Society of the United States, 2014 Puppy Mill Facts and Figures report, an estimated 167,388 breeding dogs live in the United States Department of Agriculture-licensed commercial facilities for breeding purposes. These statistics also show that there are an estimated 10,000 puppy mills in the United States.

A puppy mill, according to Merriam-Webster dictionary, is a commercial farming operation where purebred dogs are raised in large numbers and often in poor conditions. Puppy mills typically house dogs in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, depriving the dogs of adequate veterinary care, food, water or socialization. At every opportunity, female dogs are bred with little recovery time between each litter and are often killed once they can no longer reproduce.

Puppy mills differ in size and may be unlicensed or licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture. To sell to a pet store, breeders are required, by law, to be licensed. Despite this, many unlicensed breeders still sell to pet stores. When puppy mill puppies are often as young as eight weeks old, they are sold to pet shops or directly to the public through the Internet, newspaper ads or flea markets.

Since puppy mills focus on profit, dogs are often bred with little to no regard for genetic quality, causing puppy mill puppies to be prone to congenital and hereditary conditions. These conditions include heart disease and blood and respiratory disorders, according to the American Society for the prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

According to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, undercover investigations of puppy mills revealed that dogs kept in these mills often face severe health conditions such as crusty, oozing eyes, ear infections, mange that turns the skin of the dogs into red scabs and abscessed feet. These undercover investigators have observed many dogs in puppy mills frantically circling in their cages and pacing back and forth, oblivious to their surroundings. 

Pet stores typically do not disclose the true origins of their puppies. To avoid this, these stores use terms such as “USDA licensed” or “professional breeders” to describe the origin of the puppies. According to the Best Friends Animal Society, nearly all pet stores that sell puppies purchase puppies from puppy mills. Nearly 100 percent of pet stores sell puppies supplied by puppy mills, and most websites that sell dogs sell mill-bred puppies.

The Puppy Mill Project is one of many organizations fighting against puppy mills. According to the organization’s website, they believe that pet stores can “operate successfully under a humane business model”. The organization encourages pet stores to operate their business under more humane standards or to simply only sell pet supplies.

The fact of the matter is that nearly 1.2 million dogs are euthanized in shelters every year. Puppy mills focus on profits, not the health of dogs. Money spent on veterinary care, quality food, shelter or staff to care for these dogs cuts into the profit made by the mills. In order to fight the cruel and abusive nature of puppy mills, adopt pets from organizations such as the Humane Society, where homeless, often helpless dogs are taken in and cared for.