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ASPCA report finds repeat-offender puppy mills face no consequences for violations

on Fri, 01/30/2026 - 23:14   by Clark Kauffman

by Clark Kauffman, Iowa Capital Dispatch
January 29, 2026

A new report by a national animal-advocacy group says nearly a third of all actively licensed commercial dog dealers went uninspected in 2025.

The report, issued this week by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, examines the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s oversight of licensed dog breeders.

According to the ASPCA, the USDA conducted around 2,000 compliance inspections, and around 1,000 other types of inspections, at dog-breeding facilities last year.

Judge: USDA inspectors must report violations uncovered at dog-breeding operations

on Fri, 12/12/2025 - 21:32   by Clark Kauffman

Iowa Capital Dispatch
December 11, 2025

A federal judge has ruled federal animal-welfare inspectors can no longer conduct “courtesy visits” at dog-breeding operations while allowing violations to go unreported.

The ruling could have major implications for animal-welfare inspections in Iowa, which is home to roughly 265 federally licensed dog breeders and dealers — more than any other state except Missouri, Ohio and Indiana.

The ruling was handed down recently as part of a federal lawsuit filed four years ago in the District of Columbia by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals against the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, or APHIS.

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