Bailey, a puppy mill rescue. You must research your breeder carefully to see what conditions the mom is really living in. It’s not about the puppies; it’s about the parents.
Do you have a puppy and need to research your breeder? We hear this all of the time. Some of our strongest supporters learned the hard way and purchased a puppy at a pet store. Here is a step-by-step guide to researching where your puppy came from.
If you bought your dog in Illinois, the pet store is required to disclose the name and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) license number of its breeder.
Previously, we directed people to the USDA database where they could research breeders they were considering buying from. Unfortunately, the USDA removed access to its database as of early 2017, with no warning.
You can read more about this action at the articles listed below. There are additional articles easily found by doing an Internet search.
You can voice your opinion on this move directly to the USDA via their Contact Us information.
We know of no other resource to do a full breeder search. You can reference the Humane Society’s annual list of the “Horrible Hundred” to see if the breeder you are consider is on that list but it only lists the worst of the worst.
We will update this page if/when the USDA reinstates access to their database.
Once you have the name of the breeder, go to the USDA website.