Are Puppy Mills a Real Issue?

by Meagan Kinney

Do you know where your puppy came from? And if you don’t have a puppy or a dog, do you know where your friend, family, or neighbor got their adorable pet?

Well, only 30% of American households have a pet from a rescue shelter. Where do the other 70% of our pets come from? They come from places called Puppy Mills.

Puppy mills are an establishment that breeds puppies for sale in conditions that are usually inhumane. There are about 10,000 puppy mills in the country. Over 2 million puppies are bred from puppy mills each year.


These puppies are born in unsanitary conditions and usually get sick. They are prone to diseases such as epilepsy, heart disease, kidney disease, respiratory disorders and many more. These puppies will also arrive at their new home with diseases such as heartworm, upper respiratory infections, ticks and more. If they are born with a physical issue, they are usually killed.

Not only are the puppies affected by puppy mills, but the mother to these litters are as well. They are forced to breed every chance they get so they are given little to no recovery time in between litters. “Mothers are bred every heat cycle and are usually killed when they can no longer produce.”

In 2012, my grandma adopted a Maltese mix from a nearby shelter. The rescue told my grandma that she was rescued from a puppy mill. She was one of the many dogs that were used for breeding. When she came home with us she was very scared and nervous. You could tell that whoever ‘took care of her’ treated her horribly. She especially did not like men for obvious reasons. She eventually grew to love my family but it took a long time. She grew to trust certain people, some more than others. My grandma and I became her favorite people and we taught her to trust people again. This is just one instance of the many dogs that are affected by puppy mills.

I believe that all puppy mills should be shut down. There is no reason for these dogs to suffer in such horrible conditions. If you want to raise a dog, then go to your local animal shelter and adopt a loving dog. If you buy from a pet store, it is only giving puppy mills more of a reason to stay open.