Every year, the Humane Society of the United States releases its “Horrible Hundred” report, and every year it serves as a sickening, infuriating, and absolutely essential exposé of the worst puppy mills in America. The 2025 edition is no different, cataloging 100 dealers and breeders across the country where dogs are documented living in squalor—emaciated, sick, and suffering in filthy, overcrowded cages. As has been the case for over a decade, states like Missouri, Ohio, and Iowa are disproportionately represented, proving this is a deeply entrenched regional problem.
But this report is more than just a list of animal abusers. It is an annual indictment of a fundamentally broken regulatory system. The most damning revelation is not just the existence of these hellholes, but the number of repeat offenders. Many of the breeders on this list have appeared in the report year after year. They have been cited by state and federal inspectors for the same violations over and over—lack of veterinary care, unsafe housing, inadequate food and water—yet they are allowed to keep their licenses and continue profiting from cruelty. This is undeniable proof that the current system of fines and warnings is a complete failure that does nothing to deter chronic abusers.
For anyone looking to bring a dog into their family, this report should be mandatory reading. It is a practical guide to the red flags of the puppy mill industry and a stark warning against buying animals from pet stores or online sellers who cannot or will not show you where their puppies come from. The Horrible Hundred is not a list of a few “bad apples.” It is a window into the standard operating procedure of a high-volume industry that treats living, feeling beings as nothing more than a cash crop. The evidence is clear. The question is whether our lawmakers and enforcement agencies will finally find the courage to act on it.
What you can do: Read the report. Share it. Never buy a puppy from a pet store or an online seller. Use this evidence to demand that your state legislators pass stronger laws, including mandatory veterinary care standards and swift license revocations for repeat violators. This suffering only ends when the laws have real teeth.
#HorribleHundred #EndPuppyMills #USDAFailure #AdoptDontShop #AnimalWelfare
https://www.humaneworld.org/sites/default/files/docs/HumaneWorld_Horrible-Hundred-2025.pdf
