National Puppy Mill Survivor Day 2023: Date, History, Facts about Dog and Cat Farms

National Puppy Mill Survivor Day is observed on September 30 each year. It is a day to remember all the canines rescued from puppy mills, as well as those who were never able to escape. This event occurs on the last day of Puppy Mill Awareness Month and attempts to raise awareness about the connection between puppy mills and pet stores and websites where their puppies are sold. This day was established by Bailing Out Benji in September 2021 to draw attention to the canines rescued from this horrific enterprise.

The background of National Puppy Mill Survivor Day

Puppy factories are commercial dog breeding facilities notorious for their rapid reproduction and deplorable living conditions. In the 1984 case Avenson v. Zegart, puppy mills were given a definition. He characterized it as “a dog breeding operation that disregards the dogs’ health in order to minimize expenses and maximize profits.” According to “Chanis Major V.” publications, puppy factories first appeared after World War II. Farmers in the Midwest in search of a new crop responded to the rising demand for puppies by establishing the first commercial puppy enterprise. In roughly the same period, the first pet retail chains emerged.

Dogs in puppy mills are frequently housed in small cages resembling rabbit hutches or poultry coops. In addition, due to a lack of funds, these infants were frequently denied veterinary care. By the mid-1960s, a house was considered inadequate without a dog.
In response, organizations such as the Humane Society of the United States began to investigate breeding facilities, resulting in the 24 August 1966 passage of the Animal Welfare Act.

There are between 2,000 and 3,000 federally approved commercial breeding facilities in the United States currently, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. According to the Humane Society of the United States (H.S.U.S), more than 176,088 dogs are detained for breeding in U.S.D.A-approved facilities annually, and approximately 2.15 million puppies are sold. There are many of these canines for sale on the internet.