USDA breeder records · Arkansas

PuppnDogs, by the record

USDA-licensed dog breeders in Arkansas

Arkansas has 67 dog breeders and dealers with a federal license, 3.2% of the national total. This is what USDA inspectors found when they visited, from every inspection report published since 2014.

Source: USDA APHIS license list of Sep 15, 2026 and inspection reports to Sep 18, 2026.
67 active USDA dog licenses in Arkansas: 63 breeders and 4 dealers
3,929dogs counted at each licensee's latest inspection
328inspections from 2023 to 2025
92.9%found no problems, against 88.7% nationally
#8of 26 states by licensed dog breeders

Arkansas has the 8th most USDA-licensed dog breeders

3.2% of the 2,063 active USDA dog licenses in the US are in Arkansas.

Active USDA dog licenses by state, top 10
#StateShareLicensesDogs countedClean, 2023 to 2025
1Missouri68046,63596.3%
2Indiana37917,17293.8%
3Ohio24721,35775.2%
4Iowa15211,05586.5%
5Oklahoma824,26591%
6Kansas775,92189%
7Wisconsin774,74763.8%
8Arkansas673,92992.9%
9Pennsylvania524,48282.8%
10Illinois371,23691.2%

How often USDA inspections of Arkansas breeders find a problem

Share of inspections with at least one citation. Visits where nobody was home are left out.

Share of USDA inspections of Arkansas dog breeders that found at least one problem, by yearMinor issues logged as teachable moments0%5%10%15%20%25%30%35%2014: 30.7% of 177 inspections found a problem’1430.7%2015: 25% of 155 inspections found a problem’152016: 10.6% of 131 inspections found a problem’162017: 22.4% of 140 inspections found a problem’172018: 4% of 141 inspections found a problem’182019: 5.3% of 145 inspections found a problem’192020: 3.5% of 58 inspections found a problem’202021: 3.8% of 145 inspections found a problem’212022: 11.7% of 149 inspections found a problem’222023: 10.1% of 142 inspections found a problem’232024: 6% of 118 inspections found a problem’242025: 2.9% of 68 inspections found a problem’252026 (to September): 0% of 57 inspections found a problem’260%
In 2014, 30.7% of inspections in Arkansas found at least one problem. In 2025 it was 2.9%. From 2016 to 2022 inspectors could log a minor issue as a “teachable moment”, which isn't a citation, so part of the drop is a change in how problems were recorded. A falling rate can mean better kennels or lighter inspections. The records alone can't tell which.
Show as table
YearInspectionsFound a problem
201417730.7%
201515525%
201613110.6%
201714022.4%
20181414%
20191455.3%
2020583.5%
20211453.8%
202214911.7%
202314210.1%
20241186%
2025682.9%
2026570%

What USDA inspectors cite most often in Arkansas

The rules behind Arkansas's citations since 2014. Separately, inspectors arrived 94 times and found nobody available to let them in.

RuleWhat it requiresCited
2.40(b)(2)Methods to prevent, control, diagnose and treat disease and injury54
2.40(b)Adequate veterinary care must be provided26
3.6(a)(2)(i)Enclosures must have no sharp points or edges that could injure dogs19
3.11(c)Housekeeping of the premises17
3.1(f)Drainage and waste disposal14
3.11(a)Excreta and food waste removed from enclosures daily14
2.40(b)(3)Daily observation of all animals to assess health and well-being14
3.1(c)(3)Hard surfaces must be spot-cleaned daily and sanitized12

Check a breeder's USDA license number

Licensed breeders print their number on their website or sales contract. Enter it to see whether the license is active and when USDA last inspected.

Format: state code, class letter, number. 43 is Missouri, A is breeder.

Why a Arkansas breeder can be missing from these records

Breeders who sell face to face don't need a USDA license

USDA only licenses breeders with more than four breeding females who sell to pet stores, to brokers, or to buyers they never meet, which includes most online sales. A breeder who sells only to people who visit in person is exempt. So a breeder missing from these records may be unlicensed or simply exempt, and a clean USDA record covers only what an inspector saw on the day.

Sources for these figures