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Ohio ranks second in Humane Society's 'Horrible Hundred' puppy mill report

Ohio was found to have 13 mills with violations including filthy/poor housing conditions, illegal medical practices and cruel living spaces.

CLEVELAND — Ohio ranks near the top of the list of worst states in the Humane Society's annual "Horrible Hundred," which lists 100 problematic puppy breeders and dealers in the U.S.  

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2023 marks the Humane Society's 11th annual report and focused on mills that had the following violations:

  • Failure to provide proper care to injured/emaciated dogs 
  • Dogs and puppies exposed to extreme weather  
  • Dogs living in filthy/unsafe conditions

Ohio was found to have 13 mills with violations including filthy/poor housing conditions, at least one breeder who admitted to conducting "DIY" euthanasia on at least five puppies, illegal surgery administered to dogs and below-freezing living areas without proper shelter.

According to the report, at least one of the puppy mills on the list was confirmed to supply puppies to Petland stores in the state.

Three of the Ohio puppy mills on the list are repeat offenders, appearing on previous reports:

  • Happy Mountain K9 Facilities (Puppys R Us) - Loudenville - Also appeared in 2019, 2021
  • Nunda Valley Kennels - Howard - Also appeared in 2022
  • James A. Miller - Millersburg - Also appeared in 2016, 2017

Additional information on which puppy mills landed on this year's list can be found HERE.

“Behind closed doors, these dogs are suffering at the hands of breeders trying to make a quick buck,” said John Goodwin, senior director of the Humane Society of the United States’ Stop Puppy Mills campaign. “Consumers will continue getting scammed while the animals pay the ultimate price until the U. S. Department of Agriculture gets serious about combatting puppy mills.”

Credit: The Humane Society of the US

Ohio has the second most highlighted kennels on the 2023 list, only trailing Missouri, who has 31 problematic sellers.

For a detailed explanation of the Humane Society's findings you can read the entire report HERE.

WATCH | From an unrelated story on neighborhood pets in Cleveland: 

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