Sportsman’s Kennels is a dog breeding facility on Long Island in New York. This Suffolk County breeder, which boasts its connection to the American Kennel Club (“breeding AKC pups since 1962”), has appeared in Humane World for Animals’ annual Horrible Hundred report on known puppy mills five different times based on violations listed in state inspection reports. Earning this “distinction” five times is more than reason enough to never purchase a puppy from them or anyone on the list.
Now our new undercover investigation, which uncovered a chilling “forgotten dogs room” for dogs who were not currently breeding and puppies considered unsellable, provides new evidence that this facility is nothing less than a nightmare for animals.
Our investigator worked at the kennel in September and October 2025 and documented hundreds of dogs and puppies of approximately 20 different breeds who are held in a collection of plastic bins, chain-link kennels and steel cages. Some dogs had barely enough space to take a few steps and turn around. Instead of toys, chew marks on the sides of the plastic bins indicated the dogs and puppies gnawed on their own enclosures out of boredom.
The “forgotten dogs room” represented the epitome of carelessness and indifference to their suffering. Here, these dogs that no longer held promise to turn a profit for the puppy mill, languished for hours waiting to receive minimal care and attention. Here, conditions tended to be especially cramped, lonely and bleak. Adjacent to this room were hallways filled with breeding dogs that the investigator described as reeking of feces and dimly lit, with some of the dogs soiled by feces and dirty water.
Toward the end of their employment, our investigator persuaded the kennel owner to give them one of the dogs from the “forgotten dogs room” who had been deemed unsellable. That dog, named Honey, was taken into the care of Humane Long Island, a local animal advocacy and rescue organization, which found her a loving home.
We’re immensely relieved for Honey. But to eradicate the cruelty of this puppy mill, permanent change is necessary.
For the sake of the dogs at Sportsman’s Kennels, and for the sake of our humanity, none of what our investigator documented should be permitted to continue:
Many of the adult dogs had either sores, missing fur, matted fur, or diarrhea or feces caked in their fur. Some of the puppies vomited or were seen hacking, coughing or wheezing; others had eye or nasal discharge. During the investigation, some puppies were brought to a veterinarian and were diagnosed with kennel cough.
One nursing mother dog was missing a very noticeable amount of fur, exposing her skin underneath. She was filmed repeatedly scratching as if unable to get comfortable while caring for a litter of small puppies.
One breeding dog was observed with blood on the fur near his neck.
A breeding male rottweiler was so thin that the outline of his spine and ribs showed.
Some parts of the kennel were crawling with roaches, including areas where dogs were giving birth, food preparation areas and a grooming room. A staff member with no mask or protective gear sprayed roach-infested areas with insecticide next to pregnant dogs who were about to give birth.
It was clear even to at least one employee of the kennel that wrongs were being committed against animals. The employee was caught on camera saying that they would not buy a dog from there. “This place looks terrible… The ceiling’s falling in, there’s cobwebs everywhere, it’s disgusting.”
Our findings were so disturbing that we filed complaints with local authorities. We will continue to work with them to facilitate any further investigations.
Across the U.S., hundreds of puppy mills like Sportsman’s Kennels capitalize on affiliations with the American Kennel Club, a dog registry linked to the well-known Westminster Kennel Club dog show and other purebred dog events. But the AKC is not an animal welfare organization; in fact, as we’ve revealed several times, the AKC has lobbied against hundreds of bills designed to stop puppy mills and protect man’s best friend. A horrific breeding facility from which Humane World helped rescue more than 100 dogs earlier this year was also tied to the AKC.
You can let your lawmakers know that you support measures to enforce and strengthen Animal Welfare Act standards at puppy mills. You can alert them to this investigation and urge them to support the Puppy Protection Act and the Better Collaboration, Accountability, and Regulatory Enforcement (CARE) for Animals Act. (It is revealing that the AKC continues to campaign against these federal bills that would strengthen protections for dogs at puppy mills and the ability of U.S. agencies to enforce animal protections at various facilities.)
If you or someone you know has purchased a sick puppy from Sportsman’s Kennels, you can take action too: File a complaint with the New York Attorney General’s office.
By taking these actions and maintaining pressure on cruel puppy mills, we can work together to achieve a world in which no dog lives in such dismal, hopeless conditions. We all know that animals deserve better than that.
Kitty Block is president and CEO of Humane World for Animals. Follow Kitty Block on X. Sara Amundson is president of Humane World Action Fund.
