What is the Horrible Hundred?
The Horrible Hundred report is a list of known, problematic puppy breeding and/or puppy brokering facilities. It is not a list of all puppy mills, nor is it a list of the worst puppy mills in the country, but rather a list of dog breeders to avoid.
We provide this updated report annually, not as a comprehensive inventory, but as an effort to inform the public about common, recurring problems at puppy mills. The information in this bad dog breeders list demonstrates the scope of the puppy mill problem in America today, with specific examples of the types of violations that researchers have found at such facilities, to warn consumers about the inhumane conditions that so many puppy buyers inadvertently support.
2026 facts and figures
received puppies from a single dealer over a five-year period (First Class Puppies in Oklahoma).
Missouri has had the greatest number of dealers in the report. Wisconsin came in second.
are USDA-licensed, meaning they can sell to pet stores and online to any state in the country.
Download the latest reports
Our annual report reveals the cruelty and broken enforcement system lurking behind the cute puppies that the public sees in pet stores and online. The report describes violations such as failing to provide proper care to injured and emaciated dogs, dogs living in cramped, filthy conditions, to name a few.
Updates
Some prior Horrible Hundred dealers were penalized or closed down after we published our 2025 report, leading to more than 3,300 dogs rescued since our first Horrible Hundred report was released.
For example:
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Jerry Hine of Add Love Pets, who also operated a pet store called Pink Poodle, was arrested on animal cruelty charges and 405 dogs were removed from his facility in Stroud, Oklahoma, in July.
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Barbara Bowman of Colorado was charged with 258 counts of animal cruelty in July after more than 160 dogs and cats were removed from her property.
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Norman E. Yoder (Green Meadow Farm) in Ohio had his license revoked in February 2026—after appearing in two of our prior reports.
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Benuel Stoltzfus (Mountain Top Kennel) was closed by Pennsylvania authorities in December 2025, after the breeder was charged with animal neglect.
Buying a puppy online or from a pet store?
You could be supporting cruelty like this. It's time to end the cruel treatment of dogs in mass breeding operations.
More about The Horrible Hundred
Every year we issue our Horrible Hundred report to expose puppy mills across the U.S. This year’s report included more than 20 breeders who have sold puppies to Petland—the only national chain of pet stores in the U.S. that still sells puppies—and have repeatedly been exposed for cruelty.
In May, we published our 10th annual Horrible Hundred report, a list of problem puppy mills in the United States. The source of many puppies sold online or in pet stores, puppy mills arelarge commercial dog-breeding operations that put profits ahead of animal welfare.
Petland is the only national pet store chain in the United States that still sells puppies. Petland is also the largest retailer of puppy mill dogs. While the company claims their puppies come only from reputable breeders and are in good health, our latest investigation is the latest of a series that has proven otherwise.
Stop puppy mills!
You can stop this cycle of cruelty by adopting your next pet. You can also donate to help shut down puppy mills and continue our lifesaving work for all animals.
Chuck Cook/For the HSUS