The Humane Society’s annual “Horrible Hundred” list is out, and it doesn’t paint Wisconsin in a good light. There are clear issues with how the state is handling rogue dog breeders.
This report isn’t like some of the activist rants that amount to little more than a broadside against a practice they dislike. The Humane Society bases it on USDA inspections, and they back up their list with the reports federal inspectors file. In short, they have the receipts to back up their accusations.
Ten Wisconsin breeders are listed, with seven of those located in the Hillsboro area. Four of the Wisconsin facilities are repeat offenders, having appeared on the list at least once previously. The accounts are disturbing, even when they’re recounted only briefly.
One breeder “failed three different USDA inspections between July and December of 2023,” with a long-lasting flea infestation that continued because the breeder wasn’t following the vet’s instructions. Another canceled its USDA license after failing inspections, but kept its state license.
One of the “repeat offenders” was fined more than $9,000 after a 2023 incident that saw 26 puppies die of overheating in a building. Despite that, there were additional problems on two subsequent inspections.
Missouri had the highest number of problem kennels for the 12th consecutive year. Wisconsin was fourth, and that’s still too high.
We don’t agree with some organizations that argue against purchasing any dog from any breeder. That’s painting with too broad a brush. Not every breeder is irresponsible or incapable of properly caring for their animals.
It’s clear, though, that there is a significant problem nationally with breeders who will put profits ahead of their responsibilities to their animals. The place of pets in households varies. For some they’re cherished companions, others have animals primarily for their ability to serve human needs. We doubt any of those would approve of the conditions cited in the Humane Society’s report or tolerate their animals being kept in such a situation.
What’s the solution? For one, some organizations that you might think would strongly support better animal welfare laws don’t. The report takes a sharp jab at the American Kennel Club, which it accuses of “frequently” lobbying against stronger laws to enforce humane standards for breeders. Changes there would be significant.
That’s no reason Congress and state legislators can’t act, and they should. It’s not acceptable to find our state on a list like this. There’s a difference between regulation for the sake of regulation and stepping in to protect animals from laying in their own feces.
The report said “16 of the 50 states have no breeder regulations at all, leaving thousands of dogs at large-scale breeding operations completely unregulated and unprotected. States with no commercial breeder laws or insufficient enforcement often have fewer puppy mills in the report because there are scant records available for review.” That needs to change.
Humans have a duty to the animals they choose to keep. When you become a pet owner or breeder, you voluntarily assume responsibility for the welfare of those animals. That includes making sure they have clean living conditions and getting veterinary care for them when needed. Those who fail to meet such basic standards shouldn’t be given repeated passes for the problems.
We’re not suggesting every breeder needs to build a puppy palace of grandiose proportions. We doubt dogs would be any happier in a canine Taj Mahal than they would a clean, safe place with room to play. The latter is a baseline, a minimum. It’s what society should expect.
The fact so many facilities in our state miss that mark is deeply disappointing.
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