These days, we buy everything online… electronics, clothing, even produce!  The puppy industry has taken advantage of this, as thousands of puppies are sold over the internet.  Popular sites make it easy to search for a desired breed, age, gender, and color.  If you fork over the money, the puppy can be on a plane the next day.  Sounds like a great setup, right?

What you don’t know is that breeders who sell puppies online are not regulated by the USDA in the same manner that breeders who sell their puppies to pet stores are. 

Last year, Minnesota breeder Kathy Brauk went to jail for torture and cruelty to animals.  An animal rights group had captured undercover footage of her facility that showed puppies who were too weak to walk, some with open sores and wounds, others sitting in their own feces, and some who were being dipped into insecticide. 

Her USDA license was revoked in December, meaning she will no longer be allowed to sell puppies to pet stores.  She will, however, still be allowed to sell her puppies online, since that the USDA does not oversee online sales.

So, the next time you hear friends talking about the cutest little puppy they saw on a website – please warn them.  The puppy may have been bred at Kathy Brauk’s facility… or one like it.