FAQ

A puppy mill is an inhumane, commercial dog breeding facility in which the health of the dogs is disregarded in order to maintain a low overhead and maximize profits.

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.

It’s important to know that, in many cases, puppy mills are not illegal. In most states, 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. When documented cruelty exists, the HSUS assists in shutting down puppy mills with the cooperation of local law enforcement. The HSUS has assisted in the rescue of almost 5,000 dogs from puppy mills over the past two years alone. But while the HSUS is opposed to puppy mills, the HSUS cannot 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 an animal shelter, rescue group or a humane and responsible breeder that you have carefully screened in person.

Read More About Adopting Or Buying A Puppy

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—or sell puppies sight-unseen, such as over the internet, are required to be licensed and inspected by the USDA because they are considered “wholesale” operations. Those that sell directly to the public face-to-face—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 and their licenses are rarely suspended. Facilities with long histories of repeated violations for basic care conditions are often allowed to renew their licenses again and again.

For decades, the HSUS has been a leader in promoting legislative and regulatory changes that would address all large-scale breeding facilities. We also continue to encourage better staffing and funding for USDA inspection programs, which would increase enforcement capabilities.

View A Chart Of Puppy Mill Laws By State

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, the first agency to contact is a local agency with law enforcement powers, such as the local humane society, animal control agency or police or sheriff’s department.

Cruelty or neglect laws vary by state but typically address conditions such as animals without food and water, sick dogs who are not being medically treated or dogs without adequate shelter from the elements. Prepare specific details of your complaint in advance and, after you have made a report, 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, but be aware that if there is an ongoing investigation some information may not be available to the public. If you can’t get local help for the situation or are not sure who to call, please contact us.

You may also wish to contact the United States Department of Agriculture 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 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. Currently licensed breeders and some of their most recent inspection reports are available on the USDA/APHIS website.

The HSUS Puppy Mill Task Force tipline, 1-877-MILL-TIP, is available to anyone with information on a possible crime involving puppy mills—especially information from those with “insider” knowledge, or from law enforcement officials who might be aware of such operations. If you witnessed deplorable conditions in person and wish to file a complaint with the HSUS, please call 1-877-MILL-TIP or report it. You can also file a complaint with the USDA.

If you have purchased a puppy and wish to report problems to the HSUS, please complete the Pet Seller 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.

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 (or both, if applicable).
• 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. For example, many states have puppy lemon laws that require pet sellers to reimburse a pet owner for veterinary bills up to the purchase price of the puppy, if the puppy becomes ill with a condition that existed at the time of sale. Contact your state Attorney General’s office to find out more about puppy lemon laws in your state or to report a seller 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.

Step 4: Complete the Pet Seller Complaint form. This form enables the HSUS to keep track of problem sellers and ensures that we have as much information as possible to help us in our fight to stop puppy mills. It also allows us to help other puppy buyers and report chronic abusers to relevant agencies. This information is also compiled for reference and statistical purposes and will help us gather general information needed to advocate against puppy mills. You can also use this form to organize your case for possible further action. Please note that the HSUS is not a government or law enforcement agency and cannot guarantee action on every complaint.

See Our State-By-State List Of Puppy Lemon Laws

The HSUS opposes the auctioning off, selling or donation of live animals for use in charity fundraisers, lotteries, promotional distributions or other events. This includes fundraisers carried on in person, online, over the phone or through other media channels.

In some cases, nonprofit animal shelters have auctioned off a chance to adopt a pet; this does not engender the same concerns as auctioning off a specific animal to the highest bidder, as long as the shelter or rescue organization requires adopters to follow their regular adoption process before being approved. For more information, please read our statement on the issue of animals in charity auctions.

Almost all 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 their puppies to pet stores; they want to meet their puppy buyers in person and do not sell their puppies to the first person who shows up with cash in hand.

How To Tell If A Puppy Came From A Puppy Mill

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 further from the truth. In fact, some problematic puppy mills have been known to change their names and locations frequently to evade their reputations.

The Puppy Mills campaign for the Humane Society of the United States works to improve standards of care for dogs in commercial breeding operations through policy efforts and by educating consumers and sellers on the issue. The campaign has made important strides toward significantly increasing standards of care for these dogs by getting laws passed in 35 states. The HSUS’s investigations of puppy mills and pet stores have led to multiple consumer lawsuits, and have shut down dozens of puppy mills and pet stores nationwide. Through awareness events, we have educated millions about the problems in the large-scale commercial dog breeding industry.

We’ve also rescued more than 10,000 dogs from more than 50 different puppy mills since 2006—dogs who are now in loving homes.

In addition to persuading the United States Department of Agriculture to regulate breeders who sell directly to the public, we also encouraged the agency to finalize an import rule that will prevent the suffering of thousands of puppies from foreign mills. For far too long, puppies have been subjected to harsh overseas transport at a young age, often before they are fully vaccinated or weaned. The new regulations require puppies to be at least six months old and healthy before they can be shipped to the United States.

We’re also working to affect the demand with a consumer education and outreach program that encourages adoption or the purchase of dogs only from responsible breeders. Our corporate outreach efforts provide positive reinforcement for pet stores that choose to not sell puppies. We also offer help to those that do sell puppies, assisting them in making the switch to a business model that promotes adoption. By offering puppies from shelters or rescues instead of commercial breeders, stores can save the lives of animals in search of homes and ultimately help save the breeding dogs trapped in puppy mills. So far, the eleven stores we have helped to convert have adopted out more than 3,000 dogs and puppies.

While legislation is the key to ensuring lasting change for animals, simply passing a law to ban puppy mills—an idea that’s often proposed—is impractical. 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. Even bills that pass into law often do not contain all the protections we would desire.

Sadly, some purebred dog registries and kennel clubs (which often receive registration fees from puppy mills) have lobbied heavily against these changes—and they have even recruited other animal-use industry groups to help them. Scare tactics are used by those who profit the most from a lack of regulation in the pet industry to frighten small breeders into mistakenly thinking that the proposed laws will apply to them. This strategy has led some smaller breeders and local kennel clubs to oppose bills that would only impact the worst and biggest puppy mills.

This makes public support all the more vital. Sign up to receive action alerts about our legislative efforts in your state.

We ask responsible breeders to join us in this effort to change conditions for dogs who are warehoused in a life of misery in a puppy mill. If you are a breeder who wants to help stop the abuses of large scale puppy mills, please get in touch with us.

What You Can Do To Help Stop Puppy Mills

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 most have limitations.

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. But when faced with a sick or dying puppy, most people choose not to 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.

Nevertheless, an effective puppy lemon law can provide at least some recourse to unsuspecting families who purchase sick puppies and may provide a financial incentive for pet sellers to provide improved conditions and veterinary attention for the dogs and puppies in their care.

See Our State-By-State List Of Puppy Lemon Laws

Although all 50 states have anti-cruelty laws intended to prevent neglect and mistreatment of dogs, most large-scale breeding facilities continue to operate in ways that mock these laws. In many cases, dogs in puppy mills are kept in physically and emotionally damaging conditions under which an individual pet dog would never be allowed to suffer. Anti-cruelty laws are seldom applied to puppy mills as long as the animals have the rudimentary basics of shelter, food, and water. Puppy mill dogs are often treated as agricultural “crops” and not as pets.

Some local humane societies and governmental agencies investigate conditions at puppy mills and intervene to rescue the animals if necessary. In many cases, though, local authorities may not set foot on a puppy mill unless they have received a complaint from a credible person who has personally witnessed substandard conditions and animal suffering. Because so few puppy mills invite customers onto their property to purchase dogs, it can be extremely difficult for law enforcement to intervene. This is why the HSUS supports legislation requiring regular unannounced inspections of large scale puppy mills.
In those cases where local authorities are empowered to investigate, the sheer magnitude of the problem can place and extraordinary burden on human, physical and financial resources.

Shelters that have been able to intervene on the animals’ behalf may suddenly find themselves with a large number of animals in need of immediate veterinary care. Additionally, the shelter may become 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 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.

A Chart Of Puppy Mill Laws By State

Please print out our Pet Seller Complaint Form. The document can be a very helpful tool in organizing your complaint, because you can make copies of the form, along with supporting documents such as vet bills and purchase records, to send to the HSUS and other agencies such as your local consumer affairs or Attorney General’s office. These forms are used to track problem pet sellers and target the worst offenders for possible further action. Additional instructions are included on the form.

If there appears to be cruelty or neglect (unsanitary conditions, sick animals, lack of food/water/shelter, etc.) please also immediately contact the breeder’s or pet store’s local animal control agency, humane society, or animal shelter and request that they inspect the facility. If none of these exists in the area, call the police, sheriff or health department. If you witnessed deplorable conditions in person and wish to file a complaint with the HSUS, please call 1-877-MILL-TIP or report it here.

Below are a few questions to ask when working with a breeder:

• Where do the puppies live?
• Do you allow people to go visit the puppies and their parents where they are raised?
• Have the puppies been socialized?
• When are the puppies available to go to their new homes? At what age?
• What type of vet care do the puppies receive (worming, vaccinations, vet checks, etc)?
• What type of grooming requirements are there with this breed?
• What type of food do you feed your dogs?  Do you provide a food sample?
• Do you offer a health guarantee or a return policy?
• How old are the parents?
• How often do you breed?
• What type of health problems have you encountered in your dogs?
• What is the personality/temperament/character of the puppy?
• How is the puppy different from its littermates?
• How much does the puppy currently weigh?
• How big do you suspect the puppy will be as an adult?
• How much do the parents weigh?
• How long have you been breeding dogs?
• What got you started in dog breeding?
• Are you affiliated with any breeder associations?
• Do you show your dogs or participate in any dog sports?
• How many dog breeds do you own?
• Do you require a contract?

1. Once you have found the puppy you are interested in, email the Breeder with your initial questions. Then ask for a phone number so you can speak to the Breeder.  If you are unable to speak to them for any reason, walk away from the sale.  A reputable Breeder will likely have questions for you as well to make sure the puppy is going to a good home.
2. Ask for references from previous clients. Look on the Breeder’s website for testimonials or social media pages for comments.
3. Ask to see personalized photographs. Ask the Breeder to place a small card in photographs with your name or the date written on it.  Also, ask to see photos of the puppy with its mother.
4. Sign a well-defined contract. The contract should specifically state what puppy you are going to receive, what type of health guarantee comes with the puppy, what registration, if any, comes with the puppy and when you will receive the registration papers.  It should also state if there is a process of reimbursement and/or return if the puppy is sick, etc.  Most contracts will state that you will need to take your puppy to the vet within a certain timeframe.  Protect yourself by having a clearly defined and signed contract with the Breeder!  Get everything discussed in writing.  Save a copy of the contract along with the listing from PuppyNook for your records.
5. Never send money by Western Union or MoneyGram. If something goes wrong they will not help you get your money back.
6. Do not send money to another country or even another state than the one shown on the Breeder’s listing on PuppyNook.

PuppyNook is free to search, and always will be for anyone looking for a new puppy!

Once you find a puppy you are interested in, you can join the PuppyNook network by subscribing as a PuppySeeker for just $9.99 a month.  This will unlock the information for all our PuppyProviders so you can contact them directly about the puppies you are interested in.

If you are listing puppies you have 2 options available.  You can subscribe as a PuppyProvider to our Basic Package for just $17.99 a month or the Premium Package for $27.99 a month.

To cancel your membership, go to My Account / My Subscription and click on the “Cancel” button. If you are a PuppySeeker, once you cancel, you will no longer have access to PuppyProvider information and wishlists. If you are a PuppyProvider, you will no longer have access to MyListings and Wishlist, and your listings will be disabled on the site.

If you’ve cancelled your membership and want to reactivate it, go to My Account / My Subscription and click on the “Reactivate” button. If your account has expired, you will need to renew to regain access.

When you sign up your account will automatically renew each month. If you want to disable autorenewal, go to My Account / My Subscription and click the “Auto renew” toggle to off. Your will still have access to your account until your next payment date at which time your account will expire. You can manually renew at this point to regain access.

If you would like to update your credit card on file, go to My Account / Payment methods. You cannot change an existing credit card. You will need to add a new card. You can then delete your old credit card on file.

If you have access to your account, you can change the password by going to My Account / Account details. Add the current password and then the new password.

If you cannot access your account, click on the Login link in the top right corner and then on the “Lost your password?” link. You will need to enter your username or email address on file to reset your password. You will receive a link via the email on file to create a new password. If you continue to have problems, please contact us at [email protected] for assistance.

When you sign up for an account, your username and password will be automatically generated and sent to the email used to purchase your subscription. If you do not receive your password, you can reset it by using the email you used for your subscription on the Lost Password page.

During the subscription process, if your credit card is rejected or an error occurs, you will still receive a username and password to your email account. You can use these credentials to access your account and submit your payment again via the Orders page.

If you currently have a free trial and you want to make sure you are not charged at the end of the trial period, you’ll need to cancel your account or turn off auto renewal prior to the renewal date.

If you are receiving an error message when you attempt to sign in or use your password to make changes to your account settings, please review the following troubleshooting tips to help get you on your way:

Email Address/Password Issue

Hopefully, this is a simple matter of entering the right email address and password. If your password auto-populates for you, try typing the password in manually. If that doesn’t work, visit the Lost Password page to enter your registered email address and a password reset link will be sent to the email on file.

Blocked and Refunded

We take security very seriously at PuppyNook. Unfortunately, that means that sometimes honest members are mistakenly blocked and/or refunded. If you’re a paid subscriber, check your financial account to see if we’ve returned your subscription charge. If a mistake has been made on our part, please contact us immediately so we can make it right.

Some other possibilities:

If you’re sure you have the right email address, and it’s not being accepted, there may be a larger issue to address. Contact us at [email protected], and we’ll get it taken care of as quickly as possible.

If you are copying and pasting your password into the password field, be sure you did not copy a blank space before or after the password.

Still Not Working – Contact Us

It was worth a shot. If we haven’t been able to resolve your situation with the information above, please contact us at [email protected]. To help us find your account, make sure to include in your message your full name, email address, username, and ZIP code, along with a description of what happens when you try to sign in, including any error messages.

If you have a PuppyProvider account, you have a My Listing page featuring your puppies, which you can share. To access this page do the following:

• Click on the My Listings link under My Account.
• Add your puppy listing (your unique listing page won’t be available until you’ve added a listing)
• After saving your listing, refresh the page.
• You will see a “View Your Listing Page” button under Your Listings. Click on the button to view and share your personal link.