The Canine Legislation department strongly urges purebred dog owners to carefully review the draft prior to preparing their comments for the public hearing on April 6th. We appreciate your efforts and will continue to post updates on AKC's Web site for updates as they become available.
NC Fanciers: April 6th Hearing Approaching
[Wednesday, March 17, 2004]
As a reminder, the House Interim Committee on the Prevention and Disposition of Unwanted and Abandoned Companion Animals will present the first draft of legislation designed to address North Carolina's animal care and control problems to the public on April 6th. The Committee will meet at 10 a.m. in the Legislative Office Building in Room 544, and public comments will be taken. Dog owners are strongly urged to attend. For more information, or if you or a representative from your club would like to speak at the meeting, please contact Bob Peters (bob@bpdsonline.com), President, Confederacy of North Carolina Dog Clubs (formerly Confederacy of Tail Waggers). The federation can help clubs and fanciers coordinate talking points, thereby eliminating duplication of efforts and making the most of the short time allotted for each person. Speakers must contact the committee clerk to be placed on the agenda.
As most North Carolina fanciers are now aware, the House Interim Committee on the Prevention and Disposition of Unwanted and Abandoned Companion Animals was established last fall to evaluate the state's animal care and control laws. Specifically, the committee, which did not include a representative from the purebred dog community, was charged with studying North Carolina's animal population concerns and recommending reform. Subsequent subcommittee reports indicated that proposed legislation might include the following:
- Mandatory spay/neuter of all companion animals unless one purchases a breeder permit. Owners of one intact animal will be considered minor breeders; those with more that one intact animal will be classified as major breeders.
- Breeder permit numbers must be displayed and given to buyers.
- Fines will be issued for noncompliance.
- Owners of intact animals will face higher fines if their dog is found at large than will owners of altered animals. Impounded animals must also be sterilized before they can be reclaimed.
Since learning that their legislators were considering breeder permits and mandatory spay/neuter for all companion animals across the state, North Carolina fanciers have been quick to voice their opposition. AKC has additionally worked with lawmakers to express its strong opposition to breeding restrictions and to offer assistance in finding more reasonable alternatives. Members of the Committee now appear to recognize the unified strength of purebred animal owners, and they seem committed to addressing our concerns.
Through our continuing work with North Carolina legislators, the AKC has
learned that a draft of…