5 Wisconsin puppy breeders or dealers make ‘Horrible Hundred’ new list

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - The Humane Society for the United States releases an annual “Horrible Hundred” list, documenting problem puppy breeders and dealers across the U.S. Five entries from Wisconsin made the grim list, putting the state in unfortunate company.

“A puppy mill is a commercial dog breeding kennel where the dogs are treated like agriculture commodities rather than pets; they’re treated like breathing machines. And so you’re going to have just rows and rows of cages of dogs that are just being bred every heat cycle until their bodies wear out,” said the Humane Society’s John Goodwin.

Goodwin is the senior director for the organization’s Stop Puppy Mills campaign. He says the places and breeders on the list are there due to horrible sanitation conditions, overcrowding, and untreated medical issues/injuries. Five places or breeders are listed in Wisconsin out of the hundred on the list. The data is compiled by tracking state and federal citations and violations.

Goodwin says part of the problem is loose regulations.

“On the federal level, the USDA is supposed to license and inspect some puppy mills, and they have to adhere to some very basic regulations. But these are survival standards at best,” said Goodwin.

He adds under USDA regulations, dogs can be kept in cages just six inches longer than their bodies and on wire floors. They also allow breeders to kill dogs when they can no longer breed. But he says Wisconsin regulations at the local level make things harder for puppy mills.

“There is a strong movement building in Wisconsin to pass local ordinances humane pet store ordinances that would stop the sale of puppy mill puppies and pet stores,” said Goodwin.

Cities like Waukesha, Pewaukee, and Sun Prairie have passed legislation to make it illegal for pet stores to sell puppies. Goodwin says those stores often are supplied by puppy mills, and the laws tighten the marketplace on them.

Wisconsin’s five entries on the list make it the state with the seventh most entries on the “Horrible Hundred.” According to the report, breeder Harley Bontrager, in Cambria, is on the list for untreated dog injuries.

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