CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The government is cracking down on online puppy sales.
New rules from the U.S. Department of Agriculture require licenses for breeders selling dogs and other animals on the Internet.
The goal is to make sure people are buying pets from vetted sellers who are subject to inspections.
The new requirements are in response to awful living and breeding conditions found at puppy mills across the country.
"So many Internet sellers, they put images of frolicking dogs in pasture. We've been behind scenes, they are confining animals in squalid, overcrowded conditions," said Wayne Pacelle with the Humane Society of the United States.
Critics call the new rules too broad, and said they'll hurt small breeders.
WSOC
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/LH3JSJEF3VBLRJLJQESEAG34AM.png)
