I'd be happier, but some of the worst puppy mills are unlicensed kennels that sell directly to the public over the internet. There is a loop hole in the law that says only those breeders who sell to brokers or pet stores must be licensed. It was thought that if you sold to the public the public would be the watchdog and provide some oversight and decide if you were treating the breeding dogs properly. Many people know that buying a dog from a pet store is a bad idea, but at least these dogs have USDA inspections and their kennels must have some minimum standards, not so with the unlicensed kennels, and they have found some kennels so horrible that dogs were fed dogs who died, but there were no laws available to shut the kennels down. So it’s like pet lovers think they’re doing a good thing, but instead the millers can now sell directly to the public. Please urge people to always visit the home of before buying a dog, don't buy over the internet site unseen. For more information see this:
USDA Fails to Protect Puppy Mill Dogs | ASPCA Blog