According to Ivy, writer of “The History of Puppy Mills and Why You Should Care,” the idea of puppy mills was brought to the United States around the World War II era. During this time, midwestern farmers turned to animal farming as a new way to make revenue, and with that came the popularity and demand for puppies. Now, because of this demand, there are hardly any regulations. For example, what would legally require a facility to register for a license, who would place accountability on the facilities running humanely, and what conditions would the animals be subjected to? That is why the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) was signed into law on August 24th. 1966 (Animal Welfare Act | National Agricultural Library) This would define, at minimum, the standard humane animal care and treatment that is to be mandatory for wholesale breeders, which is what a puppy mill would fall under. One example of a requirement is that a wholesale breeder selling puppies must obtain a USDA