Search

This week, Indianapolis became the 450th locality in the nation to prohibit the sale of puppy mill puppies in pet stores. The passage of this ordinance also means that half of the 20 largest cities in the nation won’t allow puppy mill puppies to be sold in retail pet stores—a strong statement to

Last week, a bloodhound named Trumpet won Best in Show at Westminster, after the usual spectacle: The presumably pampered pooches were paraded before a cheering crowd of dog enthusiasts. For some, such dog shows can feel like a celebration of the special relationship we share with our canine

Summer is a time of rest and relaxation for many of us, but there has been no lull in our fight to end puppy mills. We have made real progress in our campaign to stop inhumane dog breeders who mass-produce puppies for sale through third-party outlets like pet stores and online sites that allow their

Last December, we helped rescue three puppies who were surrendered by the American Kennels pet store in New York City in the wake of our undercover investigation. The investigation revealed that sick puppies were left to suffer or even die in the store and that the store purchased puppies from puppy

If you walk into any Petland store and ask about buying a puppy, it’s likely your salesperson will assure you that Petland’s puppies come only from high-quality breeders who don’t keep their dogs in small cages, stand among “the top 5% of breeders” in the country and are inspected by at least one

Breeding dogs at puppy mills rarely get to retire. Most of the mother dogs are considered spent at just 6 years old because they can no longer reliably produce litters. They’re only halfway through their lives, and if given a chance, they could live into their teens, but too often, the end of their

UPDATE 11/22/22: The lawsuit has been amended with another complainant who claims she was sold a sick puppy by Petland Webster. Additional claims may be added to the lawsuit in the coming weeks if more potential plaintiffs come forward. When Stephanie Gonzalez and her 7-year-old son went to the

As the holiday season approaches, now is an important time to remind your friends and family not to support pet stores that sell puppies and kittens. Not only can this spare them a lot of heartache, but it can also help change a system that has for too long profited off breeding animals without

In a crushing blow to puppy mills and their pet store sales outlets, New York just became the sixth state in the U.S. to prohibit the sale of puppies in pet stores. Dozens of puppy-selling pet stores—about 10% of all such stores in the nation—currently operate in New York, and they’ll have to

In West Point, Iowa, a large-scale, commercial breeding facility called the Stonehenge Kennel contains more than 800 dogs. Here, since 2015, more than 100 dogs have been found sick or injured; some had open lesions and could barely walk. As recently as December 2022, the U.S. Department of

In a country where political tempers often run hot, agreement can seem incredibly rare. But, regardless of party affiliation, a consensus is emerging that our companion animals should be treated with basic decency—and this is not how kitten and puppy mills treat dogs and cats. While we advocate for

In recent years, we’ve made incredible progress for dogs in puppy mills by raising broad awareness of their plight and by advocating for the passage of local ordinances and state laws that prohibit the sale of puppies in pet shops. Fighting this progress are those who benefit from selling dogs in

In a photo taken by a state inspector, a dog stands looking away from the camera, her tail pointing down. At first glance, this image may seem like a sweet photo because of the boxer’s soft brown eyes and emotional expression. But farther up in the frame, the dog’s body tells a different story. Her

Petland, a company we’ve exposed for buying puppies from some of the worst puppy mills in the nation, is putting its money and influence behind this bill.  

Duchess is a Havanese with a wardrobe of tiny, colorful dresses. Cooper is a senior golden retriever who still has a lot of spunk and likes to go on vacations with his family. Alis is a Weimaraner who jogs with her owner and loves to catch a ball. These dogs are finally enjoying life, and the puppy

Earlier this year, I told you about lawsuits filed in Ohio against Petland that revealed heartbreaking stories of sick puppies. Now, two new lawsuits seek to hold Petland accountable for business practices that mislead customers and prop up the cruel puppy mill industry. Attorneys with our Animal

Since we first started publishing our Horrible Hundred report on problem puppy mills in 2013, at least 2,500 animals have been rescued from these bad breeders, and more than 250 puppy mills from our reports have closed. This year, our Horrible Hundred report, released this past April, generated more

Some of the findings of our latest Horrible Hundred report sound like scenes from horror films. A puppy mill operator in Iowa performed do-it-yourself surgeries on puppies. A breeder in Ohio is suspected of using rusty scissors to cut the tails off puppies. A breeding facility in Oklahoma was so

The Farm Bill, a legislative package the U.S. Congress approves every five years or so to govern agricultural and food programs, has the potential to instill animal welfare and sustainability into food practices for years to come. Instead, the 2024 Farm Bill just approved in the House Agriculture

Tennessee has a huge puppy mill problem and no law to fight these operations that mistreat the dogs they profit off. Just over the past year we have heard of several puppy mill rescues, including two—one in Grundy County last month and another in Madison County last June—where hundreds of dogs were