What Is a Puppy Mill?

A puppy mill is an establishment that breeds puppies to sell, typically in conditions regarded as inhumane. A puppy mill is a large-scale commercial dog breeding operation where profit is given priority over the well-being of the dogs. Unlike responsible breeders, who place importance on producing the healthiest puppies possible, breeding at puppy mills is performed without consideration of genetic quality. They don't care if the dogs are happy or healthy, they merely seek to produce pure bread puppies, they can sell for a lot of money. 

Some puppy mill puppies are sold to pet shops, usually through a broker, or middleman, and marketed as young as eight weeks of age. Other puppy mill puppies are sold directly to the public, including over the Internet, through newspaper ads, and at swap meets and flea markets.