Glossary

Plain-English definitions of the USDA terms, license types, and inspection vocabulary used across Pawthenticity breeder profiles. For the full methodology behind these terms, see Methodology.

A

Animal Welfare Act (AWA): The federal law that sets minimum standards of care for animals bred for commercial sale. The USDA enforces the AWA through licensing and inspections. The AWA sets a floor, not a ceiling — meeting it is the legal minimum, not a sign of excellence.
APHIS: The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service — the USDA agency that licenses and inspects dog breeders under the Animal Welfare Act. APHIS posts inspection reports in its public search tool.
Attempted inspection: A visit where the USDA inspector arrived at a facility but could not complete the inspection — usually because no one was present. Attempted inspections are excluded from Pawthenticity’s issue counts and dog counts so they don’t skew the math.

B

Breeding female: An adult female dog kept for the purpose of producing puppies. A breeder needs a USDA license if they have more than four breeding females and sell dogs sight-unseen (by website, phone, or shipping).

C

CAPS: The Companion Animal Protection Society — a nonprofit that conducts undercover investigations of puppy mills and pet stores. CAPS findings are referenced on some Pawthenticity profiles where available.
Class A license: A USDA license for a breeder who sells only animals they bred and raised on their own premises. Most dog breeders on Pawthenticity are Class A.
Class B license: A USDA license for a dealer who buys and resells animals — a broker. Class B licensees include some pet store suppliers and middlemen.
Customer ID: The unique USDA-assigned identifier for a person or business in the APHIS system. A breeder can change license numbers but keep the same customer ID. If a different license has the same customer ID, it’s the same operator under a new number.

D

Dealer: Under the AWA, any person who buys or sells animals for resale. Brokers and pet store suppliers are dealers and need a Class B license.
Direct non-compliance: A USDA finding that had a direct, demonstrable impact on an animal’s health or welfare — an injury, a sick animal denied vet care, dangerous housing. The most serious category of inspection finding.

F

Focused inspection: A targeted USDA visit prompted by a specific complaint or concern, rather than a routine sweep. Focused inspections are counted in Pawthenticity’s issue tally.
Follow-up inspection: A return visit by USDA staff to check whether a breeder fixed earlier problems. Follow-ups are corrections checks, not new inspections. Pawthenticity excludes follow-ups from issue counts and dog counts so the same problem isn’t double-counted across reports.

H

Horrible Hundred: The Humane Society of the United States’ annual report naming a hundred U.S. dog breeders with documented welfare problems. Pawthenticity may reference Horrible Hundred entries on individual profiles.

L

License number: The USDA permit number assigned to a breeder, in the format XX-X-XXXX (e.g. 43-A-1234). The first segment is the state code, the middle letter is the license class, the last digits are the unique identifier. A new license number doesn’t mean a new operator — check the customer ID.

N

Non-Compliant Item (NCI): Anything a USDA inspector finds that doesn’t meet AWA standards — from a minor paperwork error to a serious animal welfare problem. Every NCI is recorded on the public inspection report. Pawthenticity counts all NCIs from routine, focused, pre-license, and re-license inspections.
Non-direct non-compliance: A USDA finding that broke the rules but did not directly affect an animal’s health or welfare — expired records, missing labels, paperwork issues. Less serious than a direct non-compliance.

P

Pre-license inspection: The USDA inspection that happens before a new license is issued, to confirm the applicant meets AWA standards. Counted in Pawthenticity’s tally.

R

Re-license inspection: The USDA inspection that happens when a license is up for renewal (every three years). Counted in Pawthenticity’s tally.
Routine inspection: An unannounced USDA inspection on the breeder’s normal schedule. Routine inspections are the bulk of Pawthenticity’s data.

S

Sight-unseen sale: A sale where the buyer doesn’t see the puppy or the facility in person before purchase — typically online, by phone, or via shipping. Breeders who sell sight-unseen and have more than four breeding females must have a USDA license.

U

USDA license: The federal permit that lets a person breed and sell dogs commercially under the AWA. Required for breeders with more than four breeding females who sell sight-unseen. A USDA license confirms a breeder is registered and inspected — it is not an endorsement and not a quality stamp.

See something missing or unclear? Let us know and we’ll add it.