Humane World for Animals is assisted the Harford County Sheriff’s Office in rescuing over 100 dogs and puppies in a large-scale alleged neglect situation at a breeder’s residence in Harford County, Maryland. Please donate to help us provide lifesaving medical care and give these survivors the second chance they deserve.
Latest updates
August 28, 2025: Two of the dogs who had been found to be matted, lethargic, severely dehydrated, underweight, and suffering from severe dental disease and oral abscesses were transferred to a veterinary hospital for intensive care overnight. They are now stable.
August 27, 2025: Our Animal Rescue Team is in Maryland today rescuing more than 100 dogs from alleged neglect at a breeding operation. Humane World for Animals transported the dogs to a safe, confidential location where responders and volunteers are providing much-needed care and treatment.
Meredith Lee/Humane World for Animals
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Conditions on-scene
- Rescuers were overwhelmed by the odor of ammonia and feces emanating from the residence.
- Dogs were found roaming throughout the residence, while others were contained in filthy, stacked wire-bottom cages without apparent access to food or water.
- Groups of two to three dogs were cramped together in 1-foot by 1-foot-6-inch cages, giving them no choice but to step on top of each other. Some of the dogs were severely matted, and veterinarians noted several suffering from painful dental abscesses, eye discharge and skin infections.
- A mother dog was found in a whelping box nursing three weeks-old puppies, inches away from a recently deceased puppy.
- Some of the neonate puppies were found to have urine scalding. Veterinarians noted many of the dogs are underweight and some are emaciated.
This situation underscores something we know all too well—you can’t rely on adorable photos, AKC-celebrated pedigrees, or assurances from pet stores and online platforms that claim to evaluate breeders to ensure your puppy got the best possible start — John Goodwin, senior managing director of Humane World for Animals
Meredith Lee/Humane World for Animals
Meredith Lee/Humane World for Animals
Meredith Lee/Humane World for Animals
AKC-affiliated breeding operation
AKC tries to pass itself off as an authority on animal welfare, the organization is a breed registry for purebred dogs, one that has actively come to resist progress for animal welfare. Over the last few decades, the AKC has become little more than a front for the puppy mill industry, one that serves the interests of large-scale mass breeders while charging them for the AKC’s certifications of pedigree and litter registrations. Despite its widespread name recognition as an animal organization, the AKC is not in the business of protecting dogs, as some elected officials and members of the public seem to believe. It’s in the business of protecting and supporting the interests of dog breeders and their profits.
Background on puppy breeding operations
Humane World for Animals often gets questions about whether it’s legal to breed puppies at a large-scale. It is. The reason law enforcement was able to intervene in this situation was due to an investigation into alleged neglect.
In terms of oversight into puppy breeding operations, some states require state oversight and inspection, while many do not. 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 U.S. Department of Agriculture, which is the federal agency that oversees the enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act. Those that sell directly to the public face-to-face—thousands of facilities that breed and sell just as many puppies as their USDA-licensed counterparts—are not required to adhere to the Animal Welfare Act or to any federal humane care standards.
The agency’s enforcement patterns can vary, and too often USDA inspections and enforcement lack in holding breeding operations accountable for the humane treatment dogs deserve. Meanwhile, the American Kennel Club’s flimsy certifications and inspections provide a dangerously misleading semblance of legitimacy to breeding operations where dogs and puppies may be suffering terribly. The AKC shows time and again that it cares about profits over the welfare of dogs, lobbying against regulations and laws that would really crack down on puppy mills.
Fighting the suffering that the puppy mill industry inflicts on the dogs requires two main approaches. The public must be vigilant in avoiding contributing to the cycle of suffering that occurs in the puppy mill industry. That means choosing adoption first when seeking a new pet or buying only from carefully screened breeders after visiting the breeding operation in person to meet the breeding parents and see their living conditions.
Additionally, you can help dogs by supporting enhanced animal protection laws at the state, local and federal levels in the U.S. Currently, at the federal level, you can express your support for the Better Collaboration, Accountability, and Regulatory Enforcement (CARE) for Animals Act and the Puppy Protection Act. Both are gaining momentum and congressional sponsors in the 119th Congress.
FAQs
The Harford County Sheriff’s Office is leading this investigation and is best suited to speak to the status of the case.
We are focused on addressing the immediate needs of the animals at this time. When they are ready, we will seek placement through our network of shelter and rescue partners.
The animals are in a safe location receiving treatment and much-needed TLC. We keep the location of animals rescued as part of law enforcement seizures confidential for the safety and security of the animals as well as that of our team on the ground.
The assistance of Humane World for Animals was requested by the Harford County Sheriff’s Office.
We always hope to see positive outcomes and a new beginning for the animals we rescue, while recognizing that they have often been living in poor conditions and without necessary veterinary care.
Legally, until there has been a conviction of cruelty or neglect, etc., these are allegations.
It is not illegal to breed puppies. The reason law enforcement was able to intervene and help the animals on this property is because of the alleged neglect. The public can avoid contributing to the suffering of dogs in breeding operations by choosing adoption first when seeking a new pet, or buying only from carefully-screened breeders they meet in person. Additionally, the public can help dogs by supporting enhanced animal protection laws such as the Better CARE Act and the Puppy Protection Act.
The dogs were part of a Havanese and Biewer terrier breeding operation, which over the years has advertised breeding parents titled by the American Kennel Club. The walls of the house prominently displayed numerous American Kennel Club ribbons and certificates. On the side of a vehicle in the driveway, an advertisement read “HAVANESE AKC.”
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We never know where disasters will strike or when animals may be in need of urgent rescue, but we know we must be ready. Your support makes our preparedness, rescue, care and relief work possible.
Meredith Lee/Humane World for Animals