Commercial dog breeding facilities, sometimes called puppy mills, produce millions of puppies annually under conditions that compromise welfare at every stage.
High-volume commercial breeding facilities represent a systemic welfare failure affecting both breeding dogs and the puppies they produce. Breeding females spend their reproductive lives in small cages, often without socialization, exercise, or veterinary care beyond the minimum. The social deprivation during the critical developmental window permanently affects puppy behavior, resulting in higher rates of anxiety, aggression, and phobia in adult dogs. The suffering is distributed across the entire population of commercially produced dogs.