Report: Ohio among states with most puppy mills in country

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH)  – At-home surgeries, unsanitary conditions and a lack of vet care are just a few of the allegations noted in a report of problematic breeders in which Ohio is listed as the state with the second highest number of documented puppy mills in the country.

The Humane Society of the United States publishes an annual report called “The Horrible Hundred,” detailing known puppy mills and dealers. Ohio had the second highest number of appearances in the report. Six puppy mills resided in Tuscarawas County, four in Holmes County, one in Knox County, one in Madison County and one in Coshocton County.

“A puppy mill is a commercial scale dog breeder that sacrifices the health and wellbeing of puppies and dogs in their care in order to maximize their profit,” said Mark Finneran, state director for HSUS.

At a puppy mill, the physical, psychological and behavioral needs of the dogs are not being consistently fulfilled, according to HSUS. The society report lists Missouri as the state with the most puppy mills, with 31 detailed in the report. Ohio, tied with Iowa, came in second with 13 puppy mills each listed in the report.

“Ohio is routinely amongst the states that have the highest number of appearances in The Horrible Hundred,” Finneran said. “Number one, it tells us clearly we have a puppy mill problem in our state, but secondly, it does speak to the value of our state-level dog breeder inspection program.”

Finneran said that state employees inspect licensed commercial breeders and those reports lead into The Horrible Hundred report. He noted it’s possible there are other states where puppy mills may not be as closely tracked.

In the most recent horrible hundred report, 12 of the included breeders reportedly sold to Petland, including an Ohio breeder who was cited for performing his own ear-cropping surgeries on puppies. Petland is a Chillicothe-based chain, and is the only national pet store chain that sells puppies. The store recently found itself at the center of a lawsuit, backed by the HSUS, which claimed the store sold customers sick dogs from puppy mills.

Puppy mills in the state have a ripple effect on animal welfare and can become a burden to shelters and rescues, according to Finneran.

“Sometimes [puppy mills] have litters of puppies they can’t turn a profit on, and when that happens, they’re just dumping these dogs on local humane societies, local rescues, that are kind of being overrun with these litters of these puppies, many of whom have these significant behavioral challenges because they’re not  socialized or have significant health issues that are extremely costly to take care of,” Finneran said.

Finneran said the best thing Ohioans can do to combat the state’s puppy mill problem is to use their power as consumers and start at a local shelter when looking to get a dog.

“If you do want to buy from a breeder the best thing you can do is look for a breeder that invites you to come be where the puppy was raised, maybe meet its parents, just give you an understanding of the environment it was brought up in and that’s what’s impossible to do if you’re buying a puppy from a pet store or an online broker, you really have no idea what environment that dog was coming from,” Finneran said.

The HSUS noted in its Horrible Hundred report that it’s not possible to list all puppy mills across the country due to patchwork laws, inconsistent enforcement and other restrictions in some parts of the country – numerous puppy mills operate unseen.

The biggest effort from the Ohio branch of the HSUS to remedy puppy mills in the state is improving the way laws that already exist are enforced. The Ohio Department of Agriculture is the entity that enforces puppy mill laws and regulations.

“One of our biggest challenges right now is not that we can’t find any puppy mills, it’s that when we do find the puppy mill, [Ohio’s] choosing to allow them to stay in operation,” Finneran said. “Some of these places are getting fined, but Ohio has the authority, and in certain cases the legal obligation, to stop issuing these commercial scale breeding licenses to breeders that have a history of violations that threaten the health and welfare of their dogs.”

Finneran said if an individual has come across what they believe to be a puppy mill, they should report it to the Ohio Department of Agriculture and follow up with local law enforcement, who can assist if an animal cruelty law was broken. The Horrible Hundred full report including the list of Ohio puppy mills can be found here.

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