In Indiana, there is a prevalence of state and federally licensed Amish and Mennonite dog breeders living in the northeastern, Shipshewana area, and the southwestern corner of the state. Mid-state regions, like Montgomery and Wayne counties, also have Amish and Mennonite communities. High concentrations of commercial puppy farms as well as large guinea pig farms have been documented within all of these communities.
Indiana dog breeders on the rise
In 2016, Stop Online Puppy Mills mapped out USDA dog breeders in Indiana. In those reports, we also included the number of adult breeding dogs and puppies on the breeder’s property at the time of the inspections. Our updated 2021 maps show rising numbers of USDA commercial dog breeders located in Indiana Amish and Mennonite communities.
The reason for the increase is simply the internet. Amish and Mennonite dog breeders are cashing in as people flock to the internet to search and buy puppies. Look at these statistics from the USDA in 2016. Before the internet sale of puppies took off, the State of Indiana had 152 licensed USDA dog breeders holding a total of 5,908 adult breeding dogs in their barns. As of September 2021, there are now 383 registered USDA dog breeders and brokers in Indiana. These kennels now hold over 10,855 adult breeding dogs.
In the past 5 years, large puppy selling “broker” websites, such as Lancaster Puppies, Greenfield Puppies, Next Day Pets, Dogsnow, PuppyFind, Preimer Puppies, Pawrade, MyGoldenretrieverpuppies.com, Crockett Doodles, Puppies, PuppyFinder, UpTown Puppies and PuppySpot, have become an alternative to purchasing a puppy in a pet store. The Amish and Mennonite dog breeders are front and center to supplying puppies to many of these sites.
