Beware the Horrible Hundred

The “2020 Horrible Hundred” report released by the Humane Society of the United States describes known puppy mills and their horrific conditions. Some dogs go without food and water, some are suffering from injuries and illness without medical treatment, and some live constantly in their own feces. The American Kennel Club, typically associated with quality, had a connection with 30% of the puppy mills in this year’s report.

One AKC breeder in the report has a lawsuit pending against him after he allegedly misled consumers, sold sick puppies, and shot puppies he couldn’t sell. Other AKC-related dealers were cited for outbreaks of infectious diseases such as parvovirus, puppies shivering in the cold, and unvaccinated dogs.

Despite the confusion the AKC intentionally creates for lawmakers and the public, they are not an animal welfare organization, but a purebred dog registry whose primary function is to register puppies and collect fees from breeders. In fact, the AKC actively lobbies against common-sense legislation that would crack down on puppy mills and protect dogs. It also opposes efforts to stop the sale of puppies in pet stores. The AKC heavily promotes and defends pet stores because they sell puppies with AKC papers and encourage consumers to register their puppies, which puts more money in the AKC’s pocket. The AKC not only supports cruelty by opposing legal protections aimed to protect dogs in puppy mills, combat dogfighting, prevent the sexual abuse of animals and protect dogs from suffering in extreme temperatures, its breeding standards are so low that some breeders have been arrested for animal cruelty and shut down after passing an AKC inspection.

Please check out the HSUS Horrible 100 list at https://www.humanesociety.org/horrible-hundred and don’t buy from these breeders.

Nancy Oliver Flores Valencia