In Minnesota, dogs and cats are legally defined as property.

This definition has created an industry where certain breeders, together with animal auctioneers, dealers and pet stores, view dogs and cats as products to be mass produced and sold for profit. Often, operational costs are cut, resulting in harm to animals.

The inhumanity within the breeding industry is not just due to unsanitary or horrific breeding conditions. It is also in the fact that "mass" breeding creates unwanted dogs and cats who, if abandoned later and are not adopted, may be euthanized by shelters. These shelters are struggling to deal with the problem of pet overpopulation. This is a crisis. Please view video below.

In Hope, An Animal Shelter Story

Overview

• History: Commercial dog and cat breeding
Commercial dog and cat breeding got its start in the 1940s. It’s concentrated in the Midwest.

• United States: Puppy and kitten mills in the United States
Puppy and kitten production is a multi-million dollar industry with a sophisticated distribution system, profiting many players.

• Minnesota: Mass production
Minnesota is among the top producers of puppies and kittens in the United States, with some of the largest kennels in the nation.

• Minnesota: Weak laws
Animal governance is in its infancy. Minnesota has no State regulations or standards for the dog and cat breeding industry.

• Minnesota: Contrasting beliefs
Dog and cat breeding conditions, practices and philosophies vary widely in Minnesota. This is a local and state issue.

• Minnesota: Poor enforcement and governance
Due to limited State governance, limited USDA enforcement and limited local laws, animals suffer.

• Minnesota: Consumer demand
The demand for dogs and cats continues to grow. Pet stores and now the Internet make it easy to buy.