[3] In February 2007, founder Teresa Strader heard that a large-scale commercial breeder, or puppy mill, was going out of business and a massive dog auction would take place in Missouri.
[11] In March 2017, NMDR was cited by the Pet Animal Care Facilities Act agency for failing to comply with nine different state regulations.
In early 2019, NMDR's former marketing director Jene Nelson filed complaints with two state agencies, alleging that NMDR had trafficked dogs across state lines without required veterinary paperwork, falsified rabies certificates before offering dogs for adoption or transferring them to other shelters, and delayed or failed to provide needed veterinary treatment multiple times.
[13] On July 14, 2019, an article detailing questionable practices used by NMDR was published on the Huffington Post news website.
Among other things, the article said that despite claiming to fight commercial dog breeding, NMDR often works hand-in-hand with breeders.