North Carolina House Bill 460, sponsored by Representative Maggie Jeffus of Greensboro and Representative Margaret Highsmith Dickson of Fayetteville, and its companion bill, Senate Bill 460, sponsored by Senators Don Davis of Snow Hill and Senator Don Vaughan of Greensboro, have been filed. The bills seek to regulate the commercial breeding of dogs in North Carolina. The American Kennel Club—with its operations center located in Raleigh—and its North Carolina federation, the North Carolina Federation of Dog Clubs, oppose this legislation. While these bills are not carbon copies of the breeder regulatory bills introduced throughout the nation since the start of the new year that signify a radical national agenda aimed at severely limiting the ownership of dogs, these bills are unnecessary, as current North Carolina law is effective in dealing with animal abuse and mistreatment.
The American Kennel Club strongly supports humane treatment of dogs, including an adequate and nutritious diet, clean water, clean living conditions, regular veterinary care, kind and responsive human companionship, and training in appropriate behavior. The AKC supports reasonable and enforceable laws that protect the welfare and health of purebred dogs and do not restrict the rights of breeders and owners who take their responsibilities seriously.
- Define “commercial breeder” as “any person who, during any 12-month period, maintains 15 or more adult female dogs for the primary purpose of the sale of their offspring as companion animals. However, neither terms “adult” nor “companion animals” are defined in the bill or statutorily, which makes this definition, as currently worded, vague. Additionally, the numerical threshold contained in the definition could reasonably affect many hunting and performance kennels in the Tarheel State.
- Require commercial breeders to be licensed by the state, at a cost of $50 annually.
- Call for the NC Board of Agriculture to develop standards of care, including exercise, veterinary care, housing, and record-keeping, at commercial breeding operations. These standards will be different than standards created for animal shelters, boarding kennels, and pet shops.
- Limit those classified and licensed as commercial breeders to breeding dogs only between 18 months and eight years of age, without regard to alternative means of reproduction or the health of female dogs not falling into the prescribed age range.
- Subject commercial breeding operations to unannounced inspections, including potential warrantless searches of licensees’ homes. Denial of inspections/searches is ground for license revocation and seizure of dogs, regardless of care being given to dogs.
The North Carolina Animal Welfare Act, as provided in Article 3 of Chapter 19A of the North Carolina General Statutes, already effectively deals with animal abuse or mistreatment, making the substance of HB 460/SB 460 unnecessary.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Concerned responsible dog breeders and owners in North Carolina are encouraged to contact the bills’ sponsors and respectfully urge them amend the bills appropriately.
Representative Maggie Jeffus
NC House of Representatives
16 W. Jones Street, Room 2204
Raleigh, NC 27601-1096
(919) 733-5191
Maggie.Jeffus@ncleg.net
Representative Margaret Highsmith Dickson
NC House of Representatives
16 W. Jones Street, Room 2217
Raleigh, NC 27601-1096
(919) 733-5776
Margaret.Dickson@ncleg.net
Senator Don Davis
NC Senate
300 N. Salisbury Street, Room 526
Raleigh, NC 27603-5925
(919) 733-5621
Don.Davis@ncleg.net
Senator Don Vaughan
NC Senate
300 N. Salisbury Street, Room 411
Raleigh, NC 27603-5925
(919) 733-5856
Don.Vaughan@ncleg.net
RESOURCES:
- For tips on how to effectively communicate with legislators, please click here.
- For a copy of our Disagree Diplomatically brochure, please click here.
For more information, contact AKC's Government Relations Department at (919) 816-3720, or e-mail doglaw@akc.org.
North Carolina House Bill 460, sponsored by Representative Maggie Jeffus of Greensboro and…