Commercial puppy mills prioritize profit over animal welfare, producing puppies with high rates of behavioral and health problems while causing significant suffering to breeding dogs.
The welfare costs of puppy mills are borne at two levels: the breeding dogs who live in permanent confinement producing litter after litter with minimal veterinary care or socialization, and the puppies they produce who arrive in homes with behavioral deficits and health problems that cause suffering throughout their lives. Fear-based behaviors in puppies from commercial operations often persist for the lifetime of the dog despite behavioral intervention. The welfare case against puppy mills is overwhelming — but consumer behavior that prioritizes impulse purchasing over scrutiny of breeding conditions sustains the industry.