Breeders in Mississippi
104 USDA-licensed facilities
Mississippi is home to 104 USDA-licensed animal facilities, including commercial breeders, dealers, exhibitors, and research institutions operating under federal Animal Welfare Act oversight. Each facility listed below has been inspected by USDA APHIS veterinary medical officers, and their complete inspection histories are available for public review.
The compliance grades shown range from A+ (excellent — few or no violations) to F (failing — extensive or critical violations). These grades are calculated by BreederCheck based on the number, severity, and recency of documented violations. A high violation count does not always indicate current problems — some facilities have improved significantly after being cited — but it does tell you where to look more carefully and what questions to ask before purchasing an animal.
| Grade | Facility | City | Inspections | Violations | Last Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F | Tim Lepard | Pontotoc | 23 | 30 | Sep 11, 2025 |
| A+ | TINA BURROUGHS | MERIDIAN | 1 | 0 | Jan 15, 2021 |
| F | Triple R Farms Hattiesburg, LLC Carmen & Miles Smith | Hattiesburg | 8 | 5 | Jul 23, 2025 |
| F | Tupelo Buffalo Park | Tupelo | 16 | 7 | Sep 10, 2025 |
| A+ | Tupelo-Lee Humane Society | Tupelo | 4 | 1 | Dec 4, 2025 |
| A+ | UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI | UNIVERSITY | 12 | 1 | Jul 7, 2025 |
| B | UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI MED CENTER | JACKSON | 13 | 1 | Jul 8, 2025 |
| F | UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI | HATTIESBURG | 15 | 10 | May 8, 2025 |
| A | Katrinna Miller | Lena | 2 | 1 | Mar 5, 2024 |
| A+ | WANDA FERGUSON | COLUMBUS | 4 | 0 | Oct 2, 2019 |
| A+ | WARMWATER AQUACULTURE RESEARCH UNIT | STONEVILLE | 10 | 2 | Mar 12, 2026 |
| A+ | WILLIAM NICHOLS JR | COLDWATER | 9 | 0 | Feb 19, 2026 |
| A+ | William Corey Compton | Laurel | 1 | 0 | Dec 20, 2021 |
| A+ | WOLF HOWL ANIMAL PRESERVE LLC | ETTA | 5 | 0 | Jul 10, 2018 |
Understanding Breeder Licensing in Mississippi
Federal licensing through the USDA is required for any breeder who sells animals wholesale, maintains more than a threshold number of breeding females, or sells animals sight-unseen over the internet or by mail. Breeders who sell directly to buyers from their own premises, and who maintain four or fewer breeding females, are generally exempt from federal licensing under the retail pet store exemption — although this exemption was narrowed significantly in 2013.
In addition to federal requirements, Mississippi may impose its own state-level breeder regulations. These can include state licensing requirements, limits on the number of intact breeding animals, mandatory spay/neuter provisions for sold animals, lemon laws that guarantee buyer recourse for undisclosed health problems, and required veterinary health certificates at the time of sale. State laws vary enormously — some states have comprehensive breeder protection statutes while others have virtually no state-level oversight beyond what the USDA provides.
The facilities shown on this page are those with active or recently expired federal USDA licenses in Mississippi. Breeders operating below the federal threshold or selling only within the state may not appear in this database. If you are buying a pet from any breeder in Mississippi, we recommend checking both federal records here and any applicable state licensing databases.
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