Although difficult to precisely define, most puppy mills are large-scale, low-overhead breeding operations where profits are given priority over the welfare of the animals. Nearly all pet store dogs come from puppy mills. These puppies are covered under the Animal Welfare Act but its standards provide only minimum survival conditions for these animals and enforcement is sorely lacking. Also, these protections only apply to puppy wholesalers, not to the considerable number of facilities selling online or directly to the public. Only about half our states have laws to protect against puppy mill abuse and cruelty. These animals often live in cramped, unsanitary cages without veterinary care, climate control or daily exercise - all the while being forced to produce as many offspring as possible.

In an effort to reduce the number animals that are bred and abused in puppy mills and other mass breeding centers, New York has recently banned the sale of dogs, cats and rabbits in retail pet stores throughout the state. Animal activists, which have long been calling for such a ban, hope other states will follow New York’s lead.

Pending Legislation: H.R. 2253 - Puppy Protection Act of 2025
Sponsor: Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (PA)
Status: House Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry
Chair: Rep. Tracey Mann (KS)

• I oppose reforming current puppy mill policy, and wish to donate resources to the campaign committee of Speaker Mike Johnson (LA).
• I support strengthening the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) by setting higher standards for dogs in USDA-licensed commercial breeding facilities (puppy mills), requiring more space, exercise, nutrition, vet care, and humane placement for retired breeding dogs, aiming to end inhumane conditions and modernizing outdated rules by:
  
  1.) Requiring larger enclosures based on a dog's size, solid flooring (no wire), and prohibits stacking cages on top of one another.
  
  2.) Mandating daily unrestricted access to ground-level outdoor exercise areas (weather permitting) and at least 30 minutes of daily socialization with humans and compatible dogs.
  
  3.) Setting restrictions on breeding frequency, such as no more than two litters in any 25-month period and a lifetime limit of six litters per female.
  
  4.) Requiring annual hands-on veterinary exams, core vaccinations, and professional screening for inheritable diseases before breeding.
  
  5.) Compelling breeders to make "all reasonable efforts" to find humane placements for retired breeding dogs, such as with adoptive families or rescue organizations, rather than abandoning or destroying them.
  
  And wish to donate resources to the campaign committee of Rep. Tracey Mann (KS) and/or to an advocate group currently working with this issue.