Last night, the Michigan Legislature passed a bill that will regulate those breeders who have on their property at least 15 intact females that have been previously bred.
Thanks to your phone calls and e-mails, the bill does not include the very problematic Animal Welfare Commission that would have regulated and inspected all breeders and possibly even all owners of intact dogs.
While the AKC remains concerned about defining a breeder based solely on ownership, the bill does contain many positive provisions as well. AKC greatly appreciates the number of positive improvements, which are the result of months of communications, but remains concerned that the bill regulates a person based solely on the number of intact dogs they own.
The new House Bill 4353 has passed the legislature and is now pending on the governor’s desk. Please contact the governor today with comments and concerns on House Bill 4353 by calling (517) 335-7858, or completing the online comment form.
Summary:
House Bill 4353 as amended and passed late yesterday by the legislature is based largely on a previous version of another bill that passed the House earlier this year.
Several amendments requested by the AKC, the Michigan Association for Pure-Bred Dogs, and other stakeholders were incorporated into this prior bill when it passed the House, and subsequently are included in the bill that passed the legislature yesterday. This includes positive regulations for dogs being imported into the state (including shelters and rescues), and removing dog ownership limits and other problematic provisions.
AKC remains concerned, however, with the definition of “large scale dog breeding kennel”. The proposal states that the definition will only apply to those females that have been previously bred. However, this requires state inspectors to first determine how many intact females are on the property and whether or not they have been bred before determining if they must comply with the other regulations outlined in the proposal. This will prove difficult to enforce.
Michigan residents are encouraged to contact the governor today with comments and concerns.
For more information, contact AKC’s Government Relations Department at doglaw@akc.org.
Last night, the Michigan Legislature passed a bill that will regulate those breeders who have on their property at least 15 intact females that have been previously bred.