The Center for Food Security & Public Health ("CFSPH"), located at the Iowa State University ("ISU"), and with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ("CDC"), offers an eleven-part course in Regulatory Compliance for Commercial Dog Breeders.  

We are appalled that the CFSPH, the ISU, and the CDC would encourage the proliferation of Commercial Dog Breeders, also known as puppy mills.  

It is unconscionable that these institutions would facilitate the breeding of more dogs when so many dogs languish in shelters and with rescues, waiting for permanent homes, and when millions are euthanized ever year because of oversupply.  

Moreover, breeding dogs in large commercial facilities is in and of itself an inhumane practice.  Dogs are not crops.  They are sentient, sensitive creatures who were not made for mass breeding, and for near-constant confinement.

We expect that your response will be that commercial dog breeding isn't going to stop, and that it is better for the dogs if the breeders know the regulations.  As long as courses like yours exist, however, commercial dog breeding is given credibility and validation.  It is not a practice that you should endorse in any way, shape, or form.

Accordingly, we the undersigned respectfully request that the CFSPH, the ISU, and the CDC stop offering courses in Commercial Dog Breeding immediately.