The Humane Society this month released its 10th annual Horrible Hundred report, listing “problem puppy mills” in the United States. And for the 10th year, it ranks Missouri No. 1.
“The Horrible Hundred report is a list of known, problematic puppy breeding and/or puppy brokering facilities. It is not a list of all puppy mills, nor is it a list of the worst puppy mills in the country, but rather a list of dog breeders to avoid.” – Meredith Lee / The HSUS
What’s in the Report?
The organization’s reports have covered more than 650 breeders and dealers in 33 different states.
“The source of many puppies sold online or in pet stores, puppy mills arelarge commercial dog-breeding operations that put profits ahead of animal welfare. Sick or injured dogs, unsafe cages and inadequate protection from the heat and cold are among the issues frequently documented at puppy mills. To compile the Horrible Hundred each year, we look through thousands of pages of federal and state inspection reports, searching for severe and repeated violations of animal care standards.” – Humane Society website
The Human Society’s goal with this report is to “alert the puppy-buying public to puppy mills’ alarming practices and to press government decision-makers for more vigorous enforcement.”
Over the 10 years they’ve done this report:
- More than 200 puppy sellers who have appeared in our past reports appear to have closed or lost their licenses. A few dozen have been fined, criminally charged or jailed.
- Approximately 1,420 dogs have been rescued from Horrible Hundred breeders who closed.
- Eleven states and hundreds of cities and towns have passed new laws cracking down on puppy mills or preventing pet stores from selling puppy mill dogs.
- Missouri has had the highest number of dealers in the report for 10 years in a row.
>> Scroll down for animal abuse-related KOAM articles
Featured In This Year’s Report
The 2022 report includes a look at a Kansas investigation.
- “Kansas investigators looking into a complaint found a breeder (Mary Moore/ D and M Kennel) with a dead puppy on her property being carried in the mouth of an adult dog; the breeder admitted she had tossed some dead puppies into a field that morning because she was “in a hurry;” the state inspectors did not cite Moore with any violations, and the USDA also did not document any violations on her inspection report around the same time period.” – Horrible Hundred report
There are also several in-depth looks at situations in Missouri including the following:
- “A self-described American Kennel Club (AKC) dog breeder in Missouri, Cory Mincey (Puppy Love Kennel), whom the Missouri Attorney General sued in 2019 for failing to provide proper care for numerous filthy, emaciated and dying dogs, was found to be still operating and still accumulating severe violations within the past year; the state only fined her $4,500.” – Horrible Hundred report
Humane Society’s “Hall of Infamy”
According to the Humane Society, the places that make their “Hall of Infamy” have been in at least three of their previous Horrible Hundred reports as well as in the 2022 report. As of May 2, 2022, the organization says they are all still licensed.
- Dryfork Kennel (Bill Nored); Prim, Arkansas
- K-Bar Kennels (Kathryn Barber); Patterson, Georgia
- Wolf Point Kennel (Helene Hamrick); Ackworth, Iowa
- Happy Puppys [sic] (Henry Sommers), Cincinnati, Iowa
- Stonehenge Kennel (Steve Kruse), West Point, Iowa
- Unicorn Kennel (Joyce Cairns); Glasco, Kansas
- Sho Me Labradors (Sandra Kozlowski), St. James, Missouri
- Hargis’ Sunshine Kennels (Beverly Hargis); Hallsville, Missouri
- Rocky Top K9s (Ellen Roberts); West Plains, Missouri
- Beauchamp’s Puppy World (Kevin Beauchamp), Lebanon, Missouri
- Puppy Love Kennel aka Cory’s Cuties (Cory Mincey); Elkland, Missouri
- Frenchie’s Puppies, formerly A French Bulldog, aka Shadow Mountain Kennel, (Wendy Laymon aka Wendy Faith Steffensmeier); Rogersville, Missouri
- Eichenluft Working German Shepherds (Margaret aka Molly Graf); Newville, Pennsylvania
>>Related KOAM Articles
- Joplin Humane Society rehabilitating dogs from hoarder home
- Unlicensed Missouri dog breeder charged with animal abuse
- Missouri man accused of animal abuse sentenced in gun case
- Animal Cruelty Task Force rescues 21 dogs in McDonald County
- Reward increases in Neosho dog abuse case
- 3rd dog killed in less than a year in Parsons
- Evergy employee reports animal cruelty in Parsons
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