Missouri was named worst state for puppy mills. Here’s what to look for when pet shopping
For the 10th year in a row, Missouri ranked No. 1 on the Humane Society of the United States’ Horrible Hundred report. The report lists 100 dog breeding operations—also known as puppy mills—that are committing violations based on state and federal inspection reports.
Twenty-six of the 100 worst puppy mills included in the report were in Missouri, followed by Iowa, which had 17. Kansas had seven puppy mills included on the list.
The Humane Society of the U.S. defines a puppy mill as a high-volume dog breeding facility that sells puppies for profit and ignores their health and wellness. John Goodwin, the senior director of the Humane Society, said that puppies from these mills are often sold online or through pet stores.
The purpose of the list is to point out dog breeders in the country that people should avoid because of how they treat their animals. It spelled out gruesome instances of emaciated and dying dogs, dirty conditions, rampant illness and dog fighting.
What to look for when buying a dog
Goodwin recommends a three-step process for getting a pet safely and responsibly:
Meet the breeder
Meet the mother dog
See where the mother dog lives
He said with these three steps, you will generally have enough transparency to know if you’re dealing with someone who has a humane operation. He said to take caution when looking for pets at pet stores, as these stores are designed in a way that the customer never sees the parents of the dogs.
You’ll often see the puppy in the window, but never see the mother locked up in a cage in the back. If you order a puppy online, you have no idea how they were treated prior.
Adopt, don’t shop?
Local animal shelters like KC Pet Project and Great Plains SPCA are seeing more pets being returned than adopted, and it’s overflowing their spaces. The shelters around Kansas City are seeking more families to adopt or foster animals, especially larger dogs.
Keegan Prentice, the marketing and fundraising programs manager with Great Plains SPCA, said you should always try to adopt a pet from a shelter when it’s possible.
She recommends that people take a look at the shelter’s website before showing up, where you can check out a list of all the available pets.
The websites at places like SPCA and KC Pet Project list information including a pet’s breed, age, size, personality traits and needs, such as if they aren’t good with children or if they’d do best in a home with other animals.
Shelter staff can work with families to find a pet that fits in well with their lifestyles, whether a family is really active or wants a pet to snuggle on the couch.
“It’s really about getting to know the family and getting to know what they’re looking to get out of owning a pet,” Prentice said. “We’re making sure that we find a pet that we think would best fit in with their life.”
