puppy mill

American  

[puhp-ee mil] / ˈpʌp i ˌmɪl /

noun

puppy mills plural

1. an enterprise that breeds and raises large numbers of dogs, typically prioritizing profit at the expense of proper care and living conditions for the animals.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• puppy-mill
  adjective
• anti-puppy-mill
  adjective

Inflected Forms

noun

• puppy mills
  plural

Example Sentences

Gov. Gavin Newsom touted the laws as putting an end to the state’s role in the “cruel puppy mill industry for good.”

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 12, 2024

She said Santos told her at the time that the dogs had been rescued from an Amish puppy mill.

From Washington Post • Feb. 10, 2023

There are these myths: “Oh, don’t adopt a puppy mill dog. They have problems, mental and breeding and physical.”

From New York Times • Oct. 18, 2022

A pet dog with a well-informed, motivated, and empathic human caregiver has more to lose than a dog caged at a research laboratory or in a puppy mill.

From Salon • Jan. 22, 2022

They were left on somebody’s front porch in Rochester, their tattoos an indication of their lives in a puppy mill.

From Washington Times • May 1, 2017