HOLMES COUNTY, Ohio-- The FOX 8 I-Team has found the number of high volume dog breeders registering with the state soaring.
The numbers were recently given to members of the state’s Commercial Dog Breeding Advisory Board.
In 2018, there were 290 high volume dog breeders licensed in Ohio. There are now 418.
Many say the additional 128 licensed high volume dog breeders most likely are not new businesses but ones that now have to register due to the state’s 2018 law.
“So under the 2018 law more and more breeders are now coming under the definition of a high volume breeder and are subject to being licensed, inspected and held to higher animal care standard,” said Corey Roscoe, state director of Humane Society of the United States.
The new law deals with many issues, including the size of the cages the dogs are kept in and mandates the animals receive medical care.
The I-Team recently exposed how big the so-called puppy mill issue may be in Ohio.
We found dozens of high volume dog breeders located in Holmes County. We tried to visit many of those breeders that were cited by the state for non-compliance issues. None of the breeders would show us where the dogs were kept, and most asked us to leave.
The state has five inspectors to inspect the 418 high volume breeders.
“Having over 400 high volume breeders in the state of Ohio, otherwise known as puppy mills, is certainly not a good thing for the state of Ohio," Roscoe said. “However, they are now regulated and subject to annual inspection.”