USDA breeder records · Pennsylvania

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USDA-licensed dog breeders in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania has 52 dog breeders and dealers with a federal license, 2.5% 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.
52 active USDA dog licenses in Pennsylvania: 44 breeders and 8 dealers
4,482dogs counted at each licensee's latest inspection
303inspections from 2023 to 2025
82.8%found no problems, against 88.7% nationally
#9of 26 states by licensed dog breeders

Pennsylvania has the 9th most USDA-licensed dog breeders

2.5% of the 2,063 active USDA dog licenses in the US are in Pennsylvania.

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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania dog breeders that found at least one problem, by yearMinor issues logged as teachable moments0%5%10%15%20%25%2014: 15.6% of 33 inspections found a problem’1415.6%2015: 22.2% of 41 inspections found a problem’1522.2%2016: 14.3% of 62 inspections found a problem’162017: 10.8% of 40 inspections found a problem’172018: 13% of 54 inspections found a problem’182019: 4.1% of 52 inspections found a problem’192020: 16.7% of 24 inspections found a problem’202021: 6.2% of 54 inspections found a problem’212022: 17.9% of 105 inspections found a problem’222023: 18.6% of 107 inspections found a problem’232024: 20.2% of 113 inspections found a problem’242025: 11.4% of 83 inspections found a problem’252026 (to September): 3.2% of 31 inspections found a problem’263.2%
In 2014, 15.6% of inspections in Pennsylvania found at least one problem. In 2025 it was 11.4%. 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
20143315.6%
20154122.2%
20166214.3%
20174010.8%
20185413%
2019524.1%
20202416.7%
2021546.2%
202210517.9%
202310718.6%
202411320.2%
20258311.4%
2026313.2%

What USDA inspectors cite most often in Pennsylvania

The rules behind Pennsylvania's citations since 2014. Separately, inspectors arrived 61 times and found nobody available to let them in.

RuleWhat it requiresCited
3.13(b)(3)Veterinary care for dogs15
2.40(b)(2)Methods to prevent, control, diagnose and treat disease and injury15
3.13(a)(3)Veterinary care for dogs9
2.75(a)(2)Dog and cat records kept on the official APHIS forms7
2.75(a)(1)(vi)Records of every dog acquired, held or disposed of6
3.6(a)(1)Enclosures must be structurally sound and in good repair6
3.1(e)Food and bedding storage5
2.50(a)(1)Class A breeders must identify every adult dog by official tag or tattoo4

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 Pennsylvania 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