Pennsylvania Commercial Dog Breeding Data
Pennsylvania stands as a cornerstone of the American commercial dog breeding industry, often dubbed the “Puppy Mill Capital of the East,” with Lancaster County serving as its epicenter. 
PA State Licensed Commercial Dog Breeders 2019-2023 Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the steady growth in Pennsylvania’s state-licensed commercial dog breeders from 2019 to 2023, with the number of licenses rising from 935 in 2019 to a peak of 1,272 in 2022, before a slight dip to 1,221 in 2023. Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, serves as the commercial dog breeding epicenter for the state. These breeders utilize high-volume internet platforms like Lancaster Puppies, Greenfield Puppies, and Infinity Pups to list their dogs. These online puppy sellers facilitate anonymous, nationwide sales and shipping, allowing consumers to purchase puppies without ever visiting the breeders.
4 Regions with the Highest Amount of State Licensed Commercial Dog Breeders in Pennsylvania 2019-2023 Map
This map visually identifies Pennsylvania’s four regions with the highest concentrations of state-licensed commercial dog breeders during 2019-2023. Lancaster County’s placement in Region VI emphasizes its status as the nation’s puppy mill capital, with hundreds of facilities feeding into online puppy sales directories like Lancaster Puppies, Greenfield Puppies, and Infinity Pups, which connect breeders to distant buyers through virtual listings and the shipping of puppies, contributes to high volume breeding evading direct scrutiny of facility and animal conditions.
Numbers Per Region of State Licensed Commercial Dog Breeders in Pennsylvania 2019-2023 Stacked Bar Chart
The bar chart illustrates the distribution and year-over-year fluctuations of state-licensed commercial dog breeders across Pennsylvania. Region 6’s substantial share highlights Lancaster County’s critical role in sustaining Pennsylvania’s commercial dog breeding industry, where rural, community-based kennels—often in Amish areas—house dozens of breeding dogs that supply the majority of listings on local online puppy sales sites like Greenfield Puppies and Lancaster Puppies. These platforms exploit the region by marketing “family-raised” puppies.
Why This Matters
Understanding how and where puppies sold online are bred helps prospective dog owners make more ethical and informed choices. High-volume dog breeding operations—while legal—often prioritize profit over animal welfare. Licensing alone does not guarantee humane conditions.
Stop Online Puppy Mills, encourages people to use this data to:
Recognize the scale of the commercial dog breeding industry in Pennsylvania
Identify potential red flags when shopping for a puppy
What You Can Do
Help stop the cycle.
Rescue your next dog. Choose adoption from local shelters or rescues instead of purchasing puppies online or from pet stores. Shelters and rescues are overflowing with amazing dogs and puppies.
Report concerns. If you suspect unethical breeding practices or encounter misleading online puppy listings, report them.
Share this page. Spread awareness about the realities of commercial dog breeding in Pennsylvania and beyond.