Search USDA-Licensed Dog Breeders and Dealers

Verify any USDA Class A breeder or Class B dealer against our mirror of the USDA APHIS public database. Search 2,783 active licensees by name, DBA, certificate number, or city. Every result links to a full profile with USDA inspection history since 2014.

What This Tool Does

This lookup mirrors the USDA APHIS Animal Care Public Search Tool (opens in new tab) , refreshed monthly. Use it to confirm a dog breeder holds an active federal license under the Animal Welfare Act before buying a puppy, selling to a dealer, or inspecting the facility's compliance record.

Two USDA license classes appear in results:

  • Class A (Breeder): Breeds and raises dogs on their own premises for sale. Required for breeders with more than 4 breeding females who sell dogs sight-unseen (online, by phone, or by mail).
  • Class B (Dealer): Buys and resells dogs, typically brokers who purchase from breeders and sell to pet stores, research facilities, or directly to consumers.

Certificate format: USDA certificate numbers follow the pattern XX-Y-NNNN: two-digit state code, license class letter (A, B, C, or R), and a sequence number (e.g., 43-A-6252).

Not finding the breeder? They may be exempt from federal licensing (four or fewer breeding females, or face-to-face sales only), licensed only at the state level, or operating without a required license. Check the state-level breeder licensing rules that also apply.

About these licenses: USDA Class A (breeder) and Class B (dealer) licenses are issued under the federal Animal Welfare Act and cover many kinds of animals, not just dogs (for example cats, rabbits, and other regulated species). A licensee shown here holds a USDA license but may breed or deal in animals other than dogs, so inclusion in this database does not necessarily mean the licensee breeds dogs. Always verify a breeder's species, status, and details directly with the licensee and with USDA APHIS (opens in new tab) .

2,163 Class A Breeders
620 Class B Dealers
2026-10-21 Data as of

2,155 results found (Class A)

4,235 inactive results (expired or formerly licensed) hidden. Show all

USDA licensee search results
Certificate # Type Name DBA City State Expires Inspections
33-A-0626 Class A John Helmuth DBA: — Sullivan, IL Exp: 10/19/2029 Active
42-A-1639 Class A John J. and Kristine Lengacher DBA: Lengacher's Kennel Keosauqua, IA Exp: 3/27/2029 Active
31-A-0994 Class A John J. Wagler DBA: — Montpelier, OH Exp: 1/17/2027 Active
31-A-0299 Class A John Jamison DBA: Stoney Creek Kennels Arcanum, OH Exp: 3/7/2029 Active
23-A-0711 Class A John King and Verna King DBA: — Watsontown, PA Exp: 1/13/2029 Active
74-A-1501 Class A John Lasserre DBA: Tule Creek Kennels Kress, TX Exp: 11/25/2027 Active
32-A-0936 Class A John Leon Graber DBA: — Odon, IN Exp: 2/11/2028 Active
32-A-0317 Class A John Mark Stoltzfus DBA: Sunny Hollow Kennel Hagerstown, IN Exp: 9/5/2029 Active
32-A-0556 Class A John Otto DBA: — Ligonier, IN Exp: 5/10/2028 Active
72-A-0176 Class A John R Baldridge DBA: — De Ridder, LA Exp: 6/8/2029 Active
32-A-0563 Class A John R. Graber and Lillie Graber DBA: — Loogootee, IN Exp: 7/21/2029 Active
23-A-0320 Class A John S Fisher DBA: — Loganton, PA Exp: 10/6/2027 Active
31-A-0783 Class A John Schlabach DBA: — Fresno, OH Exp: 8/1/2028 Active
47-A-0604 Class A John Troyer Andrew Troyer Jim Troyer DBA: Troyer Kennel Milford, NE Exp: 10/14/2029 Active
42-A-1734 Class A John V Bontrager DBA: Love for Pets Kalona, IA Exp: 2/12/2028 Active
71-A-0739 Class A John Wilson DBA: Wilson Farm Green Forest, AR Exp: 9/26/2029 Active
32-A-1123 Class A John Zook DBA: — Marshall, IN Exp: 10/25/2027 Active
23-A-0697 Class A John Zook DBA: — Denver, PA Exp: 7/18/2029 Active
32-A-0442 Class A John, Mary Jane and James Knepp DBA: — Loogootee, IN Exp: 3/6/2028 Active
43-A-6630 Class A Johnna Gordon DBA: — Anderson, MO Exp: 1/5/2028 Active
32-A-0376 Class A Johnnie Graber Rachel Graber DBA: — Loogootee, IN Exp: 2/25/2029 Active
51-A-0030 Class A Johns Hopkins University DBA: — Baltimore, MD Exp: 1/3/2027 Active
31-A-1037 Class A Jonas A Yoder DBA: — Fredricksburg, OH Exp: 1/28/2029 Active
31-A-0619 Class A Jonas B Miller DBA: Star Light Acres Cavaleir's LLC Millersburg, OH Exp: 9/10/2029 Active
43-A-6119 Class A Jonas Borntrager DBA: — MADISON, MO Exp: 7/28/2029 Active

Data sources: Licensee data comes from the USDA APHIS Animal Care Public Search Tool (opens in new tab) . Inspection reports are sourced from the Data Liberation Project (opens in new tab) (CC BY-SA 4.0), which compiles USDA APHIS inspection data from 2014 to present. Both are updated monthly. For the most current information, verify directly with USDA APHIS. This is not an official USDA tool.