puppy mill
nounDefinition of puppy mill
: a commercial farming operation in which purebred dogs are raised in large numbers and often in substandard or poor conditions
Currently, hundreds of thousands of dogs languish in puppy mills, large commercial breeding operations that supply most pet stores across the United States and contribute heavily to the pet overpopulation problem. — Dog Watch
Examples of puppy mill in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Those who work with dogs emphasize that any dog can have a behavior problem — rescues, puppy mill dogs, breeder dogs. — Beth Teitell, BostonGlobe.com, "‘I am my dog’s emotional support animal’: Some pet parents are overwhelmed by their pooches," 15 July 2019 Zsa Zsa had been adopted after spending five years in a puppy mill in Missouri, the New York Times reported. — Rachel E. Greenspan, Time, "Here's Why the Chinese Crested Dog Is So Victorious at the World's Ugliest Dog Contest," 20 June 2019 While not every community has a puppy mill, Tamulevich said advocates everywhere are looking for ways to take stands against big breeders, and Royal Oak's ordinance is the 308th of its kind nationally. — Emma Keith, Detroit Free Press, "Royal Oak pet stores banned from selling dogs, cats: Here's why," 3 July 2019 Berger said that from his perspective, Petland Racine does not buy from puppy mills. — Sarah Hauer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "This pet store owner says a bill banning the sale of cats and dogs would be 'game over' for his business," 14 June 2019 Missouri is the 2nd least pet-friendly state in the country with the most puppy mills out of any state and weak animal protection laws. — Kim Chatelain, nola.com, "Louisiana is 6th most pet-friendly state in U.S.: survey," 4 June 2019 All the other grind factors, though not to be dismissed, for the most part now are accompanying curiosities in the puppy mill know as the amateur-entry pool. — Kevin Paul Dupont, BostonGlobe.com, "Blues’ Stanley Cup blueprint: Don’t expect league to follow suit," 15 June 2019 Iowa is the least pet-friendly state in the U.S., with weak animal protection laws, a high number of puppy mills and not many pet-friendly destinations. — Kim Chatelain, nola.com, "Louisiana is 6th most pet-friendly state in U.S.: survey," 4 June 2019 The current ordinance, which went into effect in 2015 to prevent Chicago businesses from sourcing dogs from puppy mills, limits pet shops to selling dogs obtained primarily from government pounds, humane societies and shelters. — Christy Gutowski, chicagotribune.com, "Revised ordinance aims to stop breeders from selling 'rescue' puppies to city shops," 23 May 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'puppy mill.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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