Central PA puppy breeder shares experience on "Horrible Hundred" list
CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa — A report from the Humane Society trying to educate people on where they get their puppies.
It’s called the “Horrible Hundred” and it is working to shine a light on the conditions dogs are forced to live through.
CBS 21 took a closer look at the report and the six Central PA kennels listed.
The report names one-hundred “so-called” problematic breeders and sellers.
It looks at State Kennel Inspection records, if a breeder has been fined, and consumer complaints.
The Central PA based kennels on the report are Blissful Paws, Steve’s Kennels, Turkey Hill Kennel, and Oak Ridge Kennel, Little Puppies Online, and Eichenluft Working German Shepherds.
One of the breeders on the list, who has been in this report six times, says that being on it has ruined her reputation as a dog breeder and rescuer.
The list says her kennel, Eichenluft Working German Shepherds, has received multiple verbal and written warnings over the past decade, the latest one was in December 2022.
CBS 21’s Hallie Jacobs spoke to her to find out her side.
Molly Graf, the owner of Eichenluft Working German Shepherds said, “I’m not a puppy mill. I do everything right. All my dogs are health tested before they’re bred, they’re all imported lines. You know, I don’t cut any corners, I’m not mass producing.”
The list says that the violations range from inadequate protection for dogs from the cold, lack of proper vaccination documents, lack of proper licenses, and more.
“We want to maintain a record to show that these particularly problematic puppy mills failed to follow even the most basic survival standards,” explained John Goodwin, the Senior Director of the Humane Society of the United States’ Campaign to Stop Puppy Mills.
The Humane Society put the list together using inspection reports from the USDA and individual states’ inspection reports.
Goodwin continued, “We identify the places that have some of the more really awful conditions that lead to really bad animal welfare problems and also some of the ones that are more widespread. We see common themes– sanitation problems, veterinary issues that are not being treated, injuries that are not being treated, overcrowded cages.”
On the other hand, Graf says that the inspection reports are inaccurate.
She says that she technically had three licenses– a kennel license for breeding, a nonprofit license for rescuing dogs, and a boarding license to help take in rescues from other nonprofits.
“It really never had anything to do with the breeding,” Graf explained. “I never broke any laws with the breeding program, I never went over the limit of dogs I could breed or sell, I never did anything wrong with the breeding.”
She says during inspections the dogs from each section were counted together, assessing her as a commercial kennel, which she failed.
“After I failed two or three inspections, they would take away my license. Then, I would go to court,” continued Graf. “They would do that every year. So, I would win in court, they would give me back my licenses.”
After the fourth year of this, she gave up her rescue license in order to keep breeding.
During her most recent inspection in February 2023, Graf’s kennel was found to be in compliance with state regulations.
In fact, five out of six of the Central PA breeders on the report are shown to be in compliance in the latest inspections.
CBS 21 also reached out to another breeder on the list, Pennsylvania’s Puppies Online, who responded with a statement reading “Regarding the specific issue mentioned in the report, we would like to clarify that it was identified during our first ever inspection. Once we were made aware of the spacing requirements, we took immediate action to address and rectify the situation.”
“Every single person in here from Pennsylvania failed to comply with Pennsylvania laws that set some very basic standards for puppy mills and none of these puppy mill owners seem to want to take any responsibility for how negligent they've been in caring for the dogs. Instead, we just hear excuses after excuses,” said Goodwin.
According to the Humane Society, it is important to keep in mind that there are puppy mills that they are unaware of and cannot document.
To check out the full “Horrible Hundred” list, click here.
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