Puppy mill

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A puppy mill, also known as a puppy farm, is a commercial dog breeding facility characterized by quick breeding and poor conditions.^[1] Although no standardized legal definition for "puppy mill" exists, a definition was established in Avenson v. Zegart in 1984 as "a dog breeding operation in which the health of the dogs is disregarded to maintain a low overhead and maximize profits".^[2] They are cited as being a result of increased demand for household pets,^[3] especially after World War II.^[4] The Veterinary Medical Association of the Humane Society of the United States defines the main characteristics of a puppy mill as "emphasis on quantity over quality, indiscriminate breeding, continuous confinement, lack of human contact and environmental enrichment, poor husbandry, and minimal to no veterinary care."^[5]

There are an estimated 10,000 licensed and unlicensed puppy mills in the United States, in total selling more than 2,000,000 puppies annually.^[6] In these puppy mills, breeding dogs are often subjected to living the entirety of their lives in cages, which are cramped and uncomfortable for the dog. The whelping bitch's needs often go unmet or ignored. An estimated 500,000 dogs are kept solely for the purpose of breeding in puppy mills..^{[7][better source needed]}