The New York State Assembly could soon vote on a bill that would impact hobby breeders who breed and sell animals in the state.
New York residents are strongly encouraged to contact their State Assemblyperson to express concerns with Assembly Bill 465.
Summary:
Currently, the State of New York has numerous regulations for “pet dealers”, which are defined as anyone who sells or offers to sell at least 9 animals per year, or 25 if the animals were born and raised on the person’s premises.
Assembly Bill 465 would change this, and now regulate anyone who sells or offers to sell 15 animals born and raised on the premises. This is a significant change that could impact many hobby breeders in the state:
- Some pet dealer requirements will be virtually impossible for hobby breeders. Current law lists a number of requirements and regulations for those who meet the definition of “pet dealer”. While some of these regulations are reasonable for all breeders, some are just not feasible for those who keep a few dogs in their home. For example, one law requires that all “pet dealers” arrange for a veterinarian to make regular visits to their premises. Hobbyists raising just 1-2 litters in their home will have a very difficult time finding a veterinarian to make regular home visits.Also, a law passed in 2013 allowed local New York governments to enact their own laws relating to pet dealers – as long as the laws are at least as strict as state law. As a result, many counties and cities throughout the state have further regulated and licensed pet dealers, some with requirements even stricter than state standards, which may not be appropriate or enforceable for those raising dogs in their private home.
- This bill will place significant burdens and costs on state and local agencies and New York taxpayers. All pet dealers must be inspected prior to obtaining a license by the state. This will require the state to make significantly more inspections due to the large increase in applicants. In addition, local governments regulating pet dealers would also have to expand their resources. AB 465 will place a large financial and administrative burden on the state and local governments to enforce unnecessary new inspections or requirements for a large new regulated class.
The AKC strongly supports current laws regarding cruelty and neglect for all animal owners. Assembly Bill 465, however, would make the assumption that hobbyists are commercial operations and regulate them accordingly. Rather than establishing arbitrarily new regulations for hobby breeders, AKC believes a better use for limited resources would be to enforce existing laws and address specific animal control issues where they may already exist.
What You Can Do:
Contact your State Assemblyperson TODAY and express your concerns with Assembly Bill 465. Use the New York State Assembly search tool to type in your address and find the name and contact information for your State Assemblyperson.
AKC Government Relations will continue to closely monitor this legislation and provide more updates as they are available. For questions or more information, contact AKC GR at doglaw@akc.org.