U.S. Federal – The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Office of Inspector General issued a report on an audit it conducted of the Animal Care unit’s dog breeder inspection practices. Animal Care is the unit of USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) that conducts inspection of breeders licensed under the federal Animal Welfare Act. The report redacted important information the Inspector General’s office was concerned could lead to privacy violations, including information that would have better reported the scope of issues identified. Nevertheless, Animal Care will implement five changes to improve efficiencies and effectiveness. The changes are expected to be designed, established, and implemented by November 30, 2025. Click here to review the report.
U.S. Federal – The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) rule that changed requirements for the importation of dogs into the U.S. went into effect on August 1, 2024. While AKC has expressed strong support of the regulation’s goal of protecting public health and canine welfare, we have continued to express disappointment that previous exceptions available for dogs that present low risk profiles, such as the import of fully vaccinated, personally-owned pets, service dogs, and dogs from DMRVV-free or low-risk countries, were eliminated. Despite a mid-December announcement by CDC that it would propose revisions and certifications to the requirements for the importation of dogs during the first half of 2025, they are now not expected due to workforce reductions in federal administrative agencies.
California – In March, the California Legislature began its “sunset review” of the California Veterinary Medical Board’s (CVMB) regulations, including the “owner exemption” to the definition of “practices veterinary medicine, surgery, and dentistry”. As allowed throughout the country, the “owner exemption” allows California owners to provide certain levels of care to their animals, including but not limited to basic wound care, ear and teeth care, and birthing assistance. Efforts to eliminate the “owner exemption” were expected as part of this review process, however, were not included in resulting legislation, AB 1502.
Colorado – The Colorado Department of Agriculture has proposed updates to the rules pertaining to the administration and enforcement of the state’s Pet Animal Care and Facilities Act (PACFA). The reasonable updates would implement changes required by Senate Bill 24-045, which requires animal shelters and rescues to sterilize dogs and cats prior to adoption. Click here for more information.