"Iowa continues to lead the nation in the number of regulatory violations committed by puppy mills.
During the first quarter of 2023, federal inspectors cited the nation’s licensed dog breeders for 303 violations. Of those, 107 were committed by Iowa breeders.
The 107 violations were committed by 26 different Iowa breeders, which means Iowa also leads the nation in the number of puppy mills that were cited by regulators during the first three months of 2023. The No. 2 state, Missouri, had 31% fewer puppy mills cited for violations than did Iowa.
The data also shows that some Iowa breeders, after being cited for violations by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, surrendered or canceled their license, then obtained a new license for the same operation — a process that has the effect of obscuring their past history of violations."
Clark Kauffman reports for States Newsroom May 5, 2023.
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