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Humane Society ranks Ohio among worst for puppy mills

The Humane Society of the United States ranked Ohio fourth on the list of places with the most puppy mills.

For the seventh year in a row, the Humane Society of the United States named Ohio fourth on the list for most puppy mills. They are calling it the horrible hundred.

The list includes Fredericksburg, Fremont, Loundonville, Millersburg and Shiloh. They publish the list to warn people and to encourage government agencies to get involved.

Franklin County Dog Shelter director, Kaye Persinger, describes puppy mills as hoarding situations instead of reputable breeders. She said many of the time puppy mills breed female dogs over and over.

Dog owner, Cherene Watkins, rescued her dog Nina from a puppy mill. Fourteen years ago she brought home Nina, who was born in a puppy mill and brought to a pound.

She said Nina was not good at socializing and was very timid. Even though Nina became a wonderful addition to her family, she hates thinking Ohio has a large number of puppy mills.

"That's horrible Nina was there because of her breed and they breed her a lot," Watkins said.

Franklin County Dog Shelter Director Persinger said there are steps to follow in order to make sure the dog is taken care of well. She said these steps are important whether adopting from a puppy mill, breeder or shelter.

The shelter's advice is to ask for health certificates and when they visited the vet last. She said it is also crucial to make sure the dog has all of their vaccines.

Many of the dogs the shelter takes in that are from puppy mills have genetic problems.

"It just breaks your heart to see that they're just being used to create, you know it just breaks my heart," Persinger said.

She suggests making sure the person or place the dog is coming for is responsible. Persinger said it is best to visit the dog several times before adopting and to meet the dog's parents.

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