Oregon House Bill 2470 continues to gain momentum in the Oregon Legislature. The bill, which seeks to severely limit the responsible breeding of dogs via ownership limits and onerous operational requirements, has been assigned to the Senate Consumer Protection and Public Affairs Committee. The American Kennel Club and its Oregon Federation, the National Animal Interest Alliance, both strongly oppose HB 2470. It is imperative that all concerned responsible dog breeders and owners in Oregon contact their State Senator and the members of the Senate Consumer Protection and Public Affairs Committee and urge them to oppose HB 2470.
The American Kennel Club’s mission includes working to protect the rights of all dog owners and promoting responsible dog ownership. The AKC strongly supports the humane treatment of dogs, including providing an adequate and nutritious diet, clean living conditions, regular veterinary care, kind and responsive human companionship and training in appropriate behavior. The AKC believes that numerical limits do not address the underlying issues of responsible ownership and proper dog care. Instead, the AKC supports reasonable and enforceable laws that protect the welfare and health of dogs without restricting the rights of owners or breeders who take their responsibilities seriously.
The AKC opposes the following provisions, among others, in HB 2470:
- Limits any person from possessing, controlling, or otherwise having charge of more than 50 intact dogs that are two years of age or older. The AKC believes that numerical limits do not address the underlying issues of responsible ownership and proper dog care.
- Imposes hard-to-comply-with operational requirements upon anyone who possesses 10 or more dogs eight months of age or older. The AKC believes that strict engineering requirements for facilities should be replaced by performance-based requirements to ensure higher rates of compliance.
- Provides four problematic legislative findings that represent an indictment of certain responsible purebred dog breeders. The AKC believes that any implication that all large-scale breeders are irresponsible by nature, yet ignore the fact that responsible breeders care for their dogs and ensure they are placed with loving homes, is plainly unfounded and should not become law.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
The American Kennel Club and the National Animal Interest Alliance strongly encourage all responsible dog breeders and owners in Oregon to contact their State Senator and the members of the Senate Consumer Protection and Public Affairs Committee. Let them know that you strongly oppose the onerous provisions contained in HB 2470, and urge them to do the same.
Members of the Senate Consumer Protection and Public Affairs Committee:
Senator Suzanne Bonamici, Chair
900 Court St. NE
S-403
Salem, OR 67301
PHONE: 503-986-1717
E-MAIL: sen.suzannebonamici@state.or.us
Senator Larry George, Vice-Chair
900 Court St. NE
S-307
Salem, OR 97301
PHONE: 503-986-1713
E-MAIL: sen.larrygeorge@state.or.us
Senator Ginny Burdick
900 Court St. NE
S-213
Salem, OR 97301
PHONE: 503-986-1718
E-MAIL: sen.ginnyburdick@state.or.us
Senator Fred Girod
900 Court St. NE
S-421
Salem, OR 97301
PHONE: 503-986-1709
E-MAIL: sen.fredgirod@state.or.us
Senator Diane Rosenbaum
900 Court St. NE
S-405
Salem, OR 97301
PHONE: 503-986-1721
E-MAIL: sen.diancerosenbaum@state.or.us
To find your state senator, click here.
For a customizable sample letter, click here.
For tips on how to effectively communicate with legislators, click here.
For a copy of our Disagree Diplomatically brochure, click here.
For more information on this or other legislation, contact AKC’s Government Relations Department at (919) 816-3720, or e-mail doglaw@akc.org; or contact AKC’s Oregon federation, the National Animal Interest Alliance at NAIA@naiaonline.org.
Please return to the Legislative Alerts section of AKC.org for updates on Oregon HB 2470.
Oregon House Bill 2470 continues to gain momentum in the Oregon Legislature. The bill, which…