The year 2018 marks the sixth year in a row that the Humane Society of the United States is publishing a list of 100 problem puppy mills and dog sellers. In Greens Fork, USDA inspectors found an American Eskimo puppy dead in a bowl with bloody water.
A Washington Post investigation showing that buyers affiliated with 86 rescue and dog-advocacy groups and shelters nationwide have spent $2.68 million buying dogs at auctions has ignited fierce debate - and late Tuesday the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a bulletin stating that such individuals and nonprofits may need to be licensed under the federal Animal Welfare Act. "Our job is to ensure the humane treatment of the animals we regulate," Deputy Administrator Bernadette Juarez, who leads the department's animal care program, said in the bulletin, which cited "dog acquisitions from an auction for resale as pets" as a reason that individuals or groups may require federal regulation.
The Humane Society of the United States sent a letter and video to the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry requesting an investigation of the "Shell Egg Production Facility in Turner." In response to this complaint, the Department is conducting an investigation into the assertions made regarding that facility.