its about time cause no animal deseres that! i wana be an animal cop when i get older cause i love what yall do!!!!!!

Is the ASPCA joining together with the Feds to investigate the "Amish" puppy mill trade, which goes on with impunity because these communities are largely closed to "outsiders." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhjqBsOCiPs&feature=youtu.be&oref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fl.php%3Fu%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2FGhjqBsOCiPs&h=YAQHoHjbY&has_verified=1 http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=7187712&page=1&fb_ref=.Tt_4j1BBlno.like&fb_source=profile_oneline Please investigate this!

as a animal lover I was toached by the heart and warmth of people out there putting their lifes on hold to help the sweet animals. I have had alot of animals over the years my favor being horse and though I don't own one right I hope to in the furture to do so. I plan on adopted two older dogs and some cats in the near furture. I have learned over the years some people are so curl and witness first hand I have come to the reuce of sevel horse some years back the look in the mama to be eyes made me realize they to have feeling and like us feel pain, fear, they are more of a friend then many people in my opion thank you

I was doing fine, reading all the emails applauding ASPCA, dunning the Amish for their obviously terrible care of breeding dogs in horrible conditions ( notice how poor the horses are that stand out in all waether- doesn't that tell us something?) and oh, how great it will be to finally have "laws" against puppy mills (my father said laws were made to be broken) and the emails advocating better control of all breeding situations, whether backyard or "buy it online". THEN, there is the email about JUST THE RIGHT PUREBRED ANIMAL from a supposedly reputable, money-making breeder WHO NEVER SEES HOW MANY OF THEIR PRODUCT END UP IN SHELTERS AND BREED RESCUES!! We people need to get real and PAY ATTENTION to the end result for so many purebreds. I forget the percentage of purebred and designer dogs that is surrendered each year, but THEY ARE AVAILABLE TO ANYONE WHO NEEDS A BREED. You only need to search, usually for only a short time and you will find your loved pet. One who had thought he/she HAD found their forever home and is now waiting for you to come along. Be the answer to this problem-promote breed rescues. Please don't make stupid refference to PAYING PEOPLE TO CONTINUE THE OVER-POPULATION OF PETS. NO, NO, NO MORE BREEDERS and SPAY,NEUTER ALL PETS.

Thank ASPCA for all you do. We need to continue to educate the public and teach our children to be kind. I'm pleased to see that this administration is making an attempt, which is more than what I can say about the previous one. Keep up the good work ASPCA, much love.

There should not be any puppy mills at all. No dogs for money, no dogs to breed, no dogs to get lost in the shuffle.

The only way to stop puppy mills if for people to stop buying puppies from sources where they cannot personally visit the "home" where the puppy was raised,see the Mom hopefully the Dad and other litter mates. Want a purebred dog go to one of the resucues or even the local humane societies, they are overflowing with dogs from puppy mills! Don't think the USDA is actually going to change anything, their budget is stretched and most of the inspectors have the owners profit margin in line over the humane treatment of animals! Look what was allowed in the horse slaughter world, and now it is coming back. STOP buying puppies and start taking care of the dogs already on the planet and the problem will solve itself. No market no mass breeding!

This is wonderful ! Thank you to ASPCA and others for being so diligent in fighting to stop this insanity !!

I have watched while these people have raised and bred dogs and puppies in cages with no human contact and i've seen the cruelty first hand. How they take the dogs out and shoot them when they are no longer breedable. Something needs to be done. And yes i am talking about the cruelty of the amish, they have no respect for God's creatures. They are the meanest people to animals. They should NOT be allowed to have any kind of pets and i use that word loosely. It needs to stop.

its about time somebody stop this madness with the creatures of god who gives to us the humans so much love and company

Our new governor just combined the Animal Health Depart. w/Agriclture Depart. Saying it'll save the state money. Then the lying "slime bag" started 2 new departments. Through this action, this slime bag just set back the fight against puppymills by 20 years. I'm in strong agreement w/other responses. Only way to STOP puppymills is to SHUT them down completely. But that won't happen. So the best we can do is spread the word to 1. Don't buy from pet shops 2. Don't buy from any breeder (breeding = big money). I have 3 full blooded yorkies. 1 from a puupymill, 1 from a dog auction, and 1 from a bad breeder. Didn't know about the petition or I'd of signed it.

I'm raising two puppy mill dogs and they are fearful of humans and It's been 7 years and still fearful even I tried to spoil them with treats and trying to get them to trust an humans even ME. Puppy mills are really a cruel place for animals and it NEEDS to be STOPPED! I refuse to give those dogs up.

get rid of the abusers and abuse will stop. nuff said

Great that we even got a response from the administration. Now let's keep pushing, step by step, til we get to where we really need to be: Banning the sale of companion animals altogether! As long as there are monetary incentives, there will be excessive breeding, abuse, neglect, animal suffering and millions of dogs and cats euthanized in shelters every year. When will we start treating these defenseless and voiceless animals with respect and dignity, like we treat children? When will we stop the sale of animals (AKA slavery) and allow only animal adoptions? When will we stop being animal "owners" and start being solely animal adoptive parents and guardians? Let's make adoption the ONLY option!

I dont believe our government will do anything to stop puppy mills. They have no interest in stopping this cruel and inhumane practice. I wont believe it until it happens but I wouldnt hold my breath if I were anyone who cares. Remember who is running our government. Vote in 2012 for real hope and change!

Thank the good Lord above that something is being done for these poor dogs! But we can't stop with dogs alone there are many of God's creatures being abused and abandoned every day! All of us need to do more and speak for these defenseless animals, we have to give them a voice! Thank you ASPCA for all you do!! God bless!

When will it end. It only takes enforcement of laws, but there are so many things that neighbors and witnesses would be of great help in getting evidence of the abuse and neglect. These witnesses are afraid or timidated to making a call to report them. Fear of retaliation leading to violence if the dog fighters or puppy mills are brought before the judge.

When will it end. It only takes enforcement of laws, but there are so many things that neighbors and witnesses would be of great help in getting evidence of the abuse and neglect. These witnesses are afraid or timidated to making a call to report them. Fear of retaliation leading to violence if the dog fighters or puppy mills are brought before the judge.

Unbelievable!!!!!!!!!!!!! When will it end. It only takes enforcement of laws, but there are so many that neighbors and witnesses would be a great benefit to leads of abuse and neglect. These witnesses are afraid or timidated to making a call to report them neighborhood for fear of violence if the dog fighters or puppy mills.

In addition to puppy mills,there should be laws against back yard breeders too! Had I not intervened, a littler of 8 Rottweiler puppies and the Mom would have died! Even though I had provided a 40 pound bag of puppy food, my subsequent visits let me know that the Mom was not being fed as she should have been before the puppies were born, and I never saw her with fresh water! The Mom had heartworms, and when I was able to remove them from the environment they were in, the puppies were only 3 weeks old. The Mom could not produce enough milk for the all the puppies. With the help of my friend, we made homemade formula and gruel. These back yard breeders are almost as bad as puppy mills. The animals are kept in substandard conditions, not properly fed, and rarely have fresh, clean water. In addition, they are not kept on any preventatives (i.e. for heartwroms, fleas or tics), nor had they received any vaccinations! I am so thankful that I had the ability, and the help of a wonderful friend, to rescue these 9 dogs, get the Mom treated for heartworms and spayed, and found wonderful homes for Mom and 6 of the puppies - I ended up keeping two myself! I'm very grateful that we as a country are doing something about puppy mills, however, we can't stop there!

I have owned dogs all my life. Each and every one of them have taught me life lessons I carry with me forever. I cannot, for the life of me, understand how creatures so intuitive, understanding and loyal can be treated like nothing but "puppy ovens". To never know the love that can be given to them, to never know life without a cage, to live and die in bondage. This should not be what an "enlightened" society promotes. Please, stop this cruelty. For all they give us, let us give back.

Puppy mills needs shut down, and made illegal, permanently. Permission of puppy mills is "legalized" cruelty to animals.

This is certainly a good start and kudos to ASPCA for their tireless campaign. I agree with everyone: CLOSE PUPPY MILLS FOR GOOD!

thank you aspca. dont stop here, keep going and get all ,all over the world puppy mills closed down and put these horible, heartless people in prison. they dont deserve to live, the animals are not living, merely existing. this is not what our LORD AND SAVIOR MEANT WHEN HE GAVE US THE ANIMALS TO TAKE CARE OF FOR HIM.I AM AN APSCA AVOCATE AND PROUD OF IT. I HAVE HAD 3 DOGS FROM RECUSE AND THEY ARE THE BEST PETS ANY ONE COULD EVER ASK FOR. THEY GIVE SO MUCH LOVE AND DEVOTION, DONT ASK ANY THING IN RETURN BUT LOVE, CLEAN WATER AND FOOD AND A WARM PLACE TO LAY DOWN AND TAKE A NAP. THE PUPPY MILL OWNERS ARE CRUEL, THEY NEED TO BE PUT IN A GAGE SAME SIZE AS THE DOGS ARE IN AND SEE HOW THEY LIKE IT, COLD,HOT,NO FRESH AIR TO BREATHE, CANT WALK IN THE GRASS AND HAVE LITTER AFTER AFTER,COURSE THE AMISH HAVE CHILD AFTER CHILD,BUT THE CHILDREN CAN RUN AND PLAY AND GET FRESH FOOD And aren't kept in gages cant they see how cruel this is, and for what money and more money. stop these puppy mills please. i cry everynight after reading the news about this torture these animals have to live year after year. stop this madness as soon as possible.

I am ecstatic that the white house plans to improve oversight of commercial dog breeders and to issue new rules to regulate those who sell puppies over the Internet. That's definitely better than nothing. What they need to do though is ban (and make illegal) commercial breeding of companion animals. How stupid is it to purposely breed millions of animals while millions are suffering and being killed for lack of homes? Until commercial breeding is a thing of the past our country will remain uncivilized.

People who run puppy mills are pimps. Those poor dogs have no choice but to have litter after litter and live in cages. And don't even mention 'Amish' around me! Can't stand them and their cruel ways. They are not nicey nice, holy and so innocent as most think. They are cold and heartless money grubbers. To h--l with regulating dog breeding, it doesn't happen anyway, just CLOSE THEM DOWN and stop coddling these moronic monsters. I know some personally and I wish it were legal for me to have at 'em.

I have 2 italian greyhound mommas rescued from mills after 6 years of horrid living conditions. One from Missouri, the other from the 'wonderful' Amish. Absolutely disgusting industry and people. Iggy #1 took 4 YEARS before she trusted me to pet her. Iggy #2 has been with me 1 year and has health issues and a tongue that hangs out from jaw/teeth damage. She is petrified of hoses because she had been powerwashed. Puppy Mills and their owners are despicable trash. Thank you for any legistation that will put them all out of business. Make sure the inspections have teeth and are enforced.

I have doxie that was used for breeding befor I got her. I,ve had her almost ayear now and she is finally starting to socializing and is finally starting to play now, but she has turned into a wonderfull loving dogShe.s now five years old.

Puppy mills COULD be closed down if politicians just had the nerve to oppose these horrible places. I know this for a fact because I live in PA and the politicians in Lancaster County and surrounding counties are full of Amish puppyt millsa and the politicians are afraid to do anything about these places. it's all about votes and money. Our previous governor tried but I have my doubts about the new one. Ohio, Missouri and Indiana are also bad puppy mill places - some of them being Amish kennels. Missouri is very bad as they furnish the pet stores with puppies. People should wake up to this problem. We are supposed to be a civilized country but hoa can that be when we tolerate this cruelry!

RE: Nanci: [Submitted by nanci at:January 6, 2012 12:38 PM Puppy mills, according to many Republicans, are 'just business'. Well, they are a business that make profits, big profits, from sadistic and negligent treatment of innocent dogs. Treatment that YOU or I or ANY CITIZEN would go to jail for, under almost every State's laws. Cruel confinement, denying medical care, inhumane treatment re: dipping, grooming, substandard or lack of clean food and water. WHY do 'businesses' get away with what would bring jail terms or huge fines to 'persons'. If corporations are people, I want to see the puppy mills ( or at LEAST their owners!) in jail for animal cruelty! They bring heartache to their customers and are COSTING TAXPAYING CITIZENS who know better than to buy living animals over the internet, MILLIONS & MILLIONS OF DOLLARS to KILL these innocent DOGS - 4 million a year in this country - and how many millions of puppies come from these horrendous PUPPY MILLS every year? THIS WILL NOT STOP UNTIL THE PROFITS ARE REMOVED FROM PRODUCING & SELLING PUPPIES LIKE THEY WERE WIDGETS OVER THE INTERNET!] This is not an issue about corporations or politics. This is about cruel treatment of animals by people. Your lack of understanding of corporations is beyond laughable. The people who run these mills are not big Wall St corporations, but instead are greedy, private 'farmers' who see a fast turnover of profit because they can continue bad breeding practices. You need to direct your focus on the topic at hand and not throw political nonsense into this. How Republicans have anything to do with keeping puppy mills open is insane to say the least. Keep up the good work ASPCA!

We are a breed specific Dachshund Rescue and see the tortured faces first hand, these poor dogs come to us filthy and frightened beyond belief, sometimes it takes years for them to acclimate to life in a home. Indiana needs to look at our sad good for nothing regulation of puppy mills and get on board, The Amish should be run out of town on their buggies, they are the cruelest people on earth, I wouldn't buy anything the Amish produce.

"Somewhere in the rain, there will always be an abandoned dog that prevents you from being happy"-Aldous Huxley As long as there are puppy mills overflowing the market with abused, untrained and unloved animals, there will be abandoned dogs. Does not over 4 million dogs being euthanized each year bear truth to that fact? We would all like to think education is the answer but in our hearts we know that strict and enforced regulations and laws will be the final saving of those who cannot fend for themselves, the animals of the world. Thank you ASPCA and thank you Mr. President.

My cup runneth over, for there is hope. I wish EVERYONE had a big enough heart to love the animals we ahare the planet with.

Being Republican has nothing to do with it, nanci. I am a Republican and also a responsible pet owner. I agree with the others that education and awareness, as well as plain appreciation of what animals can give us is the key. Hasn't it been proven that pet owners live longer and have more productive lives?

LOVE YOU ASPCA! THANKS FOR EXISTING! YOU DO HUGE AMOUNTS OF GOOD TO US HUMANS TOO. For every knowledge of a life saved, there is a great relief of pain in one's heart. ASPCA, you brighten the animals lives, bring happiness to our souls and makes the world a better place. Thanks for rescuing so many creatures from the hands of cowardliness and abomination.

While I'm not at all opposed to people raising and selling puppies in general, I used to raise and sell chihuahuas, these animals should be taken care of, shots, vet trips if needed and they should be socialized. That being said, puppy mills are terrible and should be highly regulated. Animals should be treated humanely at the very least! My own person opinion is that they should be treated better than that. When my puppies left me, they'd had their shots and were very healthy. I guaranteed them. I never had any returned or any complaints. No one should be allowed to continue to treat animals so deplorably as they do in the puppy mills!

This is going to do very little good. Those damned hell pits should be CLOSED, not admonished. And I doubt we'll see anything done to the ones run by Amish because everybody has this cutesy image... they don't realize they raise dogs like they would chickens. A friend of mine helps with rescues from puppy mills in Ohio and Indiana, and those people should be ashamed.

Ellen, You are so wrong! There are Fabulous sites that horrible breeders have created and are selling their dogs on the internet. They have fooled many intelligent people into thinking they are reputable breeders but they are disgusting mills. Investigators have disclosed some of them but there are thousands more. Unless you are willing to go in person and see what is HIDDEN BEHIND THE CURTAIN, you really can't be sure where your dog has come from. Learn more by visiting the 'Puppy Mill Awareness Day' website.

I, like most caring people, want to see the 'puppy mills' closed for good. however, public education is the key - not more legislation! the internet is only as good or as bad as the people who use it. If YOU want a purebred dog do your research! there are many reputable breeders who use the internet to screen potential buyers and are willing to answer any and all questions about the chosen breed. if a purebred isn't what you are looking for - go to your local shelter and find your hearts desire.

Slavery was abolished years ago. Shouldn't it be the same with puppy mills and factory farms? Haven't we learned any humanity?

Puppy mills, according to many Republicans, are 'just business'. Well, they are a business that make profits, big profits, from sadistic and negligent treatment of innocent dogs. Treatment that YOU or I or ANY CITIZEN would go to jail for, under almost every State's laws. Cruel confinement, denying medical care, inhumane treatment re: dipping, grooming, substandard or lack of clean food and water. WHY do 'businesses' get away with what would bring jail terms or huge fines to 'persons'. If corporations are people, I want to see the puppy mills ( or at LEAST their owners!) in jail for animal cruelty! They bring heartache to their customers and are COSTING TAXPAYING CITIZENS who know better than to buy living animals over the internet, MILLIONS & MILLIONS OF DOLLARS to KILL these innocent DOGS - 4 million a year in this country - and how many millions of puppies come from these horrendous PUPPY MILLS every year? THIS WILL NOT STOP UNTIL THE PROFITS ARE REMOVED FROM PRODUCING & SELLING PUPPIES LIKE THEY WERE WIDGETS OVER THE INTERNET!

This is a great start, but until all puppy mills are closed down for good and animals aren't considered property this won't happen.

Lancaster County PA is one of the biggest puppy mills around and the Amish are the biggest culprits. The Governor has a new task force that busts these mills and closes them down. I hope they continue this task in the future and beyond. Hope that all these puppy mills are closed forever. (Ps they should put the owners in cages)

Just wonderful news!! I wish it was like that all over the world. Our furbabies just want love & affection, and to be taken care of. They give us so much love in return. You can just look in their little eyes and see it. How can humans be so abusive to our little ones. I will never understand it!

Great, it's about time these people are held accountable and take good care of their dogs and hopefully there will be a limit to how many times, age and years they can breed. Hopefully at some point the Puppy Millers will be completely stopped.

I have 2 little Doxies the spent the first 6 years of their lives making babies in a puppy mill. When they turned 6 the mill no longer had a need for them. They are the loves of my life. It took 6 years for them to get petted and loved, to walk on grass and find out what snow is. It was like raising a newborn at 6 years old. I HATE puppy mills!

puppy mills are all closed they are a source of personal profit without caring for the suffering they have endured to the animals their entire lives locked up in their feces, in the cold or in heat, malnourished or no all. Veterinarians spend only rarely if at all! Who can say how many dogs and cats die alone in their cramped cages without anyone knowing, and who can say how many graves there at the bottom of the course of these puppy mills? You would be surprised to see hundreds or thousands of bodies buried without compassion. puppy mills should be rehabilitated by selling their animals through the shelter, they should themselves perform these sales-adoption so they realize how exhausting it is for volunteers to shelters to adopt tutors who will be able to understand that a dog lives an average of 15 years and must treat all this life even if misfortune strikes, they should not abandon them. It's crazy to give rise to animals and more than 10 million others are euthanized abandoned by the police or maintenance of the cities. These lives are sold off as if they were worthless, as useless and soulless, yet all lives are important or they would not have been created by God. Dogs save lives in earthquakes, sometimes cats save guardians of a fire because they quickly detect smoke and meow to prevent their guardians asleep in the middle of the night. I lived it by a friend.

Good news! At PupQuest we have been fighting to close this loophole for years. In the meantime we have created www.pupquest.org an educational site guiding folks on where to get a dog and where NOT to get a dog. USDA loophole is explained on the site. If you like PupQuest, please share it. Thanks ASPCA for working on this problem.

What a spectacular acheivement. We've come a long way in protecting God's defenseless & loving creatures but we still have a way to go. This practice should be "outlawed"!! PERIOD How can anyone with a heart and soul see how these poor aniamls live and think it's ok..especially in this country. Let's continue the fight...I am a proud ASPCA Guardian contributor...money well spent...God Bless you all for protecting those without a voice...

Start regulating OODLE Since I started looking for a puppy,I noticed how many of these "home raised" puppies are from mills. Same breeders have new "home raised" dogs daily.

YEAH!!!! God Bless all the animals in the world and all the people that help to fight for them. And to those who bring harm or fear to an anmial may He deal with you as He sees fit.

Puppy mills and the selling of animals in pet shops should be completely banned. Then the wonderful animals needing homes would be adopted. It has been said you can judge a man and a nation by the way they treat their animals. We and our government need to step up to the plate. Thank you ASPCA

I wish the Canadian Government was as compassionate. Quebec is supposedly the Puppy Mill Capital of North America. Shame on them and shame on us!

All animal cruelty should be stopped and puppy mills are cruelty.

Ireland has band puppy mills completly. Why can't we. There are way to many animals that are being abused and unloved here every day. Lets find homes for them befor first. Absolutely no more puppy mills.

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we need to stop puppy mills, I hate seeing so many dogs be put down. it breaks my heart that I can't do anything about it :( everytime I think about dogs out there that need homes/ppl for them.

I rescued a dog from a puppy mill - one of the moms who had been dumped on the street. She's the most loveable, adorable dog I've ever had. Stop this abuse now!!

Stop and close puppy mills for good, poor dogs don't deserve inhumane conditions and have them in a cage, tell does bastards to stop exploiting and harming the poor dogs.com they need freedom not confinment.

All animal abuse of any kind needs to stop! Thank you ASPCA for caring for animals. It is nice to know that there are still compassionate people in this world :) Happy Healthy 2012!

WE WANT PUPPYMILLS CLOSED FOREVER!!! Granted this is a good start BUT no crack down will work, SHUT THEM DOWN!!! Now I plan on visiting www.NoPetStorePuppies.com!!!

i signed the petition and i'm glad i did, but one stop at any shelter will tell you puppy mills should be made illegal! this is a great start!

I donate and support our local shelters and spay and neuter awareness through the sales on my websites. Pets should be care for properly with love and affection. Not caged and left to be in a life of breeding slavery! Breaks my heart to know so many dogs are left cold and uncared for properly just so someone can profit :(

Puppy Mills need to close for good, not regulated, just closed, stop breeding dogs!!! They are living in a cage, how can a dog live in a cage?? PLEASE CLOSE PUPPY MILLS

It's about time! We have to help the ones that cannot defend themselves! End the horrendous conditions these animals live in.

That is wonderful! I could never get 'approved' to sign the petition so I'm glad that so many could.

Oh that is just wonderful! over 39,000 people signed the petition??? HOW GREAT :) I love you ASPCA. You are so true to animals. Unlike PETA. Your real. My mother donates to your company every month :)

Yes! It's about time!