BOSTON -- Almost one year after Team 5 Investigates exposed shocking and unhealthy conditions inside a Minnesota puppy mill, the federal government is recommending that the owner of the operation be shut down.

NewsCenter 5's Sean Kelly reported on Thursday that Kathy Bauck, owner of "Pick of the Litter" and "Puppys On Wheels" may lose her license to operate for at least two years.

Bauck is one of the country's biggest dog brokers and has shipped hundreds of sick dogs to local pet shops, including Laughlin Kennel in Oxford, Mass., Elite Puppies and Grooming in Webster, Mass., and Precious Pups in Hudson, Mass.

Last November, Team 5 Investigates showed you the shocking conditions where those puppies came from. Now, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the federal agency responsible for licensing and regulating breeders, is asking a judge to terminate Bauck's license for at least two years.

In a motion for summary judgment filed last week, the agency said Bauck is "unfit" to be licensed because she has operated her kennel in a "criminally improper manner."

Most of the USDA's evidence against Bauck can be seen on video taken by an undercover investigator for the Companion Animal Protection Society in Cohasset, Mass. The video shows emaciated dogs, sick dogs and others being dunked in a tub of diluted, but toxic insecticide that is only supposed to be used on swine.

Deborah Howard, president of the Companion Animal Protection Society, said she's encouraged by the USDA's decision. "She's a major player in the pet shop puppy mill industry and we've been investigating her since 1997. The USDA should have done something years ago."

Back in March, Bauck was convicted of animal cruelty and torture. The year before, she pleaded guilty to practicing veterinary medicine without a license. Both times Bauck spent time in jail. But the federal government has not taken any action on Bauck's license until now.

"I would like to see the animal welfare act amended so that there is an automatic revocation of license when there's a criminal conviction," said Howard.

In its motion, the USDA says if it didn't take action, it would be sending a signal to state and local authorities that the federal government turns a blind eye to animal cruelty and torture.

But even if the USDA is successful in revoking Bauck's license, Team 5 Investigates has learned the agency can't do anything to stop Bauck from selling dogs on the internet.

"That is not a USDA regulated activity and that's what really concerns me," said Howard.

Zenas Baer, an attorney for Kathy Bauck, told Team 5 that he and his client have not yet had the time to review the USDA's recommendation, but they will be contesting it.

Bauck's fate will then be decided by a judge sometime within the next several months.