Seven people filed a lawsuit against the Arizona-based PuppyFind.com last week, saying many dogs on the website are sick and come from inhumane puppy mills.While the lawsuit is filed in Arizona, it has a connection to West Tennessee — all seven of the plaintiffs say PuppyFind.com misled them into buying a sick, neglected dog from a Madison County couple.

“PuppyFind knowingly or recklessly allows irresponsible sellers to continue to post on their site, and publishes artificially high seller ratings for these sellers, even though PuppyFind has received information that these sellers are selling sick puppies, have criminal records, and/or otherwise operate unlawfully,” the lawsuit states.

According to the complaint, George and Tabitha Doyle, Madison County residents, were members of PuppyFind’s website from October 2013 through June 2016.

The Doyles are not listed as defendants in the lawsuit. They could not be reached for comment Wednesday. Jeff Steinport, COO of PuppyFind.com, declined to comment Wednesday and said the company had not yet been served with the lawsuit.

The seven plaintiffs each purchased a dog from the Doyles, believing them to be trustworthy breeders due to the five-star reviews on PuppyFind.com, according to the complaint.

“As a result of the sellers’ irresponsible and inhumane breeding practices, of which PuppyFind was or should have been aware, the Plaintiffs received puppies with numerous ailments, including mange, parasites, and malnutrition,” the complaint states.

In one instance, a puppy had to be euthanized about two weeks after its purchase, according to the complaint.

In 2001, Tabitha Doyle, then Tabitha Nicole Webb, was convicted of 47 counts of animal cruelty, according to court records. She and her mother had initially been charged with 101 counts of animal cruelty after Madison County sheriff’s deputies reported they found dogs living in their own feces with no food or water during a visit to the kennel operated at the women’s home, according to The Jackson Sun’s archives.

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It is cases like this that Eric Swafford, Tennessee state director for The Humane Society of the United States, hopes to stop from happening.

Swafford is traveling the state to discuss legislation that could crack down on puppy mills.

“Unfortunately in the state of Tennessee we do not have any state oversight on commercial dog breeding facilities, often called puppy mills,” Swafford said. “Because of this, there are animals being abused, there are consumers being defrauded.”

The Humane Society of the United States is assisting the seven plaintiffs in their lawsuit against PuppyFind.com

Swafford said proposed legislation would regulate breeders who have 10 or more intact breeding female animals kept for the primary purposes of selling their offspring.

“We’re talking about commercial enterprises that should be licensed and regulated and consumers that should be protected,” Swafford said.

Standards for breeders would include things like requiring basic veterinary care for the animals, access to the outdoors, access to exercise and not constantly living on a wire floor, said Leighann Lassiter, animal cruelty policy director for the Humane Society of the United States.

Swafford stopped at the Madison County Sheriff’s Office in Jackson on Wednesday, where he spoke about legislation with State Rep. Jimmy Eldridge, R-Jackson.

Eldridge said the dogs he has had are like family and he doesn’t understand why there isn’t legislation in place to protect animals and their new owners.

“I have a love for animals,” Eldridge said. “If you don’t have anything to hide, why would you not want the oversight?”