Ohio on national list of Puppy Mills: What’s being done?
CLEVELAND (WJW) – The Fox 8 I -Team has found Ohio near the top of a list, yet again, for the number of so-called “puppy mills” or, problem dog breeders.
Year after year, Ohio shows up at or near the top of that list. So, we asked, what’s being done about it?
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The Humane Society of the United States just issued its annual Horrible Hundred report.
The report outlines what the Humane Society sees as the worst of the worst dog breeders nationwide based on state and federal inspections. The report shows Ohio has 20 of the top 100 breeders named.
While Ohio has consistently ranked high on the Horrible Hundred list, the I-Team also has exposed some of these breeders in NE Ohio for the past five years.
The Humane Society’s list includes names of breeders the I-Team has noticed before. They’re identified for keeping dogs in filth, with poor medical care or in cage conditions, which are now outlawed.
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We spoke to Mark Finneran with the Humane Society of the U.S. and pointed out that we do see some of the same breeders again and again.
“Absolutely, that’s one of the most frustrating things for us,” Finneran told the I-Team.
“In order to tackle our puppy mill issue with high volume breeders in Ohio, we need a fundamental change in the way our laws are being enforced.”
In late 2023, a State of Ohio veterinarian told us Ohio is enforcing the rules, including issuing more fines to problem breeders.
Dr. Dennis Summers, a state veterinarian on Ohio’s Commercial Dog Breeding Advisory Board, said, “We are trying to be more progressive with our enforcement action. We’ve made great strides to make sure that we’re enforcing those rules and regulations as tight as we can, as fairly and consistently as we can.”
This Horrible Hundred list of dog breeders came together based on state and federal inspections. But, last year the I-Team found Ohio had just five inspectors overseeing several hundred breeders.
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The question always comes up about the number of breeders getting shut down. Dr. Summers said the last time it happened was several years ago.
Dog breeding can be a big business, and animal rights activists have pushed for more inspectors.
They are now supporting a proposed state law that would help officials to crack down on the puppy mills by not allowing the sale of the dogs to pet stores. But, for now, Ohio ranks high in what the Humane Society considers dangerous for dogs.
“So, clearly we need to do more to protect these dogs,” Finneran said.
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