puppy mill

noun

: 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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Before his adoption, Marcel lived in a small cage at a puppy mill for years. —

Kelli Bender, People.com, 16 Oct. 2024 Ohio follows Missouri's 23 puppy mill dealers with 20, then Iowa with 15 and Wisconsin with 10. —

Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024 California’s underground puppy trade ‘raises serious alarms’ and demands for state action Lawmakers and animal welfare advocates said California must stop purging health records that could help trace dogs back to puppy mills. —

Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2024 Avoid pet stores, as almost all pet store puppies come from puppy mills. —

Darcie Moran, Detroit Free Press, 30 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for puppy mill