The United States Department of Agriculture recently issued a federal rule that requires online puppy producers to obtain a USDA license and meet the humane care standards of the Animal Welfare Act. While this is great news, far too many producers who should be licensed are escaping federal oversight. 

Websites that promise to deliver a puppy to your door without screening the buyer in person are most likely selling dogs from puppy mills. Puppy mills are like dog-making factories where the main concern is profit, not animal welfare. Many puppy millers will pose as small, local breeders that raise their puppies on beautiful, open property. But in reality, mother dogs often spend their entire lives in small, wire cages with barely enough food and water to stay alive.  They are bred continuously to supply puppies for the pet trade, and when they can’t breed anymore they’re discarded or killed.

Tell Secretary Vilsack to crack down on sellers who should be licensed under the retail pet store rule. Together, we can take a stand against unlicensed puppy mills and the cruelty that comes with them!

Take action today and send a message to Secretary Vilsack urging him to ensure that all online puppy sellers get a federal license.