A Puppy Mill by Any Other Name Would Still Stink

Come November, Missourians will have a chance to shed the dubious distinction of being known as the nation’s puppy-mill capital thanks to Proposition B, a ballot initiative that will allow voters to decide whether or not to ban breeding operations with more than 50 dogs and to require large-scale breeding operations to provide dogs with adequate food, water, shelter, space, exercise, and veterinary care.

Puppy mill operators are up in arms because Proposition B would make “puppy mill cruelty” a misdemeanor crime. As it turns out, puppy mill owners don’t like it when their “businesses” are called “puppy mills.” They claim that the term is prejudicial, and they are suing to have it removed from materials describing the initiative.

A blogger for St. Louis’ Riverfront Times newspaper playfully suggested that “dog-breeding factories” might have a better ring to it. What do you think?

Which term best describes large-scale dog breeders?Market Research

Written by Alisa Mullins