A bill has been approved by the Delaware House Health and Human Development Committee that would ensure the state and local Delaware municipalities cannot declare a dog as dangerous based solely on “a dog’s breed or perceived breed.”
The bill also makes several amendments to streamline current state laws, including removing all references to the state’s Dog Control Panel and instead having dangerous dog determinations made by the Justice of the Peace Court, thereby making it consistent with other parts of Delaware’s dog laws.
Talking Points:
The AKC supports House Bill 427, which protects the rights of dog owners while still allowing for dogs to be declared dangerous based on specific actions. Seventeen states currently have laws that prohibit breed-specific legislation. Visit the Breed-Specific/Dangerous Dog Laws page in the AKC Legislative Action Center for more talking points on this issue.
What You Can Do:
House Bill 427 will now be sent to the full House of Representatives for a vote. If you reside or participate in dog events in Delaware, please contact the House and ask them to support House Bill 427.
Visit the AKC’s Legislative Action Center and type your name in the “Find Your Elected Officials” box to get the name and contact information for your State Representative. House leadership may be contacted by clicking here.
For questions or more information contact AKC Government Relations at doglaw@akc.org
A bill has been approved by the Delaware House Health and Human Development Committee that would ensure the state and local Delaware municipalities cannot declare a dog as dangerous based solely on a dogs breed or perceived breed. The AKC supports House Bill 427, which protects the rights of dog owners while still allowing for dogs to be declared dangerous based on specific actions.