from Humane World blog

Date: June 2, 2025

Author: Kathleen Summers

Every year, an estimated 2.1 million puppies are sold from roughly 10,000 puppy mills across the United States. In these massive breeding facilities, nearly 500,000 dogs are kept solely for the purpose of breeding. Many of them will be killed or discarded when they become too old to breed, never knowing what a loving home feels like. We are changing this: Earlier this year, our fight to end puppy mill cruelty reached a milestone worth celebrating: 500 localities across the U.S. have banned the sale of puppy mill puppies in pet shops. Kathleen Summers, outreach and research director for our Stop Puppy Mills campaign, was the very first full-time staff member at Humane World for Animals focused solely on stopping puppy mills. Summers has spent 19 years working to expose and shut down puppy mills. Here, she discusses five signs that a dog is from a puppy mill. Share these tips with your family and friends to spare them the heartache of ending up with a dog whose puppy mill past casts a long shadow over their lives.

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“We noticed she had a runny nose, but the pet store said it was just a cold.”

“The puppy slept the whole way home, but we thought that meant she was just a laid-back dog.”

“We weren’t able to meet the puppy’s mother because the breeder said their house was hard to find and met us at the gas station instead.”

These are the kinds of messages we receive from families who become heartbroken and stressed when the seemingly perfect puppy they bought from a pet store, online or a questionable breeder turns out to have serious health problems. When we receive these types of complaints, buyers often add that when they look back, they realize there were red flags. A love of animals and an enthusiasm about the idea of bringing a puppy home can lead people to overlook signs that puppies or their mothers are not healthy, that conditions are not ideal, or that a seller is not being transparent. This is the exploitative business model of puppy mills and the pet stores that sell puppy mill dogs—obscuring the truth of how dismal puppy mills are while capitalizing on people’s natural love for animals.

Our puppy mills team has been collecting complaints from the public for 20 years. The warning signs we hear about most often are the following:

1. The puppy seems unwell or overly tired. If a puppy has a runny nose or seems lethargic, the pet store or breeder may describe them as “having a cold.” But puppies should be clean, alert and lively. While puppies do nap a lot, they should not seem drowsy or lethargic all the time, should not be coughing or sneezing, and should have clear eyes, ears and nose. Puppies should also be a minimum of 8 weeks old before offered for sale.
2. Something doesn’t smell right. Literally. A puppy (and their mother) should look and smell clean. If they have been living in poor conditions, they may smell or look dirty or even show signs of fleas. That being said, anyone can give a puppy a bath, so you should also see for yourself exactly where the puppies and parents have been living. It should be in a clean and spacious location, not in stacked cages.
3. The puppy doesn’t have veterinary documents. A list of vaccinations provided by the seller is not enough. A puppy should come with paperwork on veterinary letterhead, and that paperwork should include the dates and lot numbers of all vaccinations given, as well as information on the puppy’s wellness examination and deworming schedule. Otherwise, you have no way of knowing if the dog received the right vaccinations at the right time, or at the correct dosage and intervals.
4. You aren’t sure where the puppy has been. If a breeder offers to meet you in a parking lot or other third-party location, that’s a red flag. Responsible breeders will be proud to let you see where the puppies and their parent(s) spend their time. This is also why we caution against purchasing a puppy from a pet store or online. Puppy mills hide behind these third-party sellers or fancy websites.
5. The puppy’s mother seems to be afraid of you. Responsible breeders should allow you to meet the parents of a puppy—at a minimum, the mother. The mother dog should be friendly, clean, alert and happy to see you. A mother dog who seems afraid, lethargic or aggressive may be maladapted because she’s been living in poor conditions.

Our investigations into pet stores that sell puppies from puppy mills show time and again that these dogs suffer because they do not receive appropriate attention, socialization or veterinary care. 

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The best way to avoid supporting the puppy mill industry is to adopt a dog from an animal shelter or reputable rescue group instead. If you’re seeking to add a puppy to your family, there’s no shortage: Of the 2.9 million dogs who entered shelters and rescue organizations in the U.S. last year, 29% were puppies. You’ll not only be giving a home to a pup who needs one, but you’ll be keeping your hard-earned money out of the pockets of puppy mills. Learn more.

Kathleen Summers is outreach and research director for the Stop Puppy Mills campaign at Humane World for Animals.