As Congress returns for the brief lame-duck session, lawmakers are racing to pass major legislation, including the Farm Bill, before the end of the year. One of the most pressing concerns is the potential inclusion of harmful amendments that would impact responsible dog breeders and the wellbeing of purebred dogs. Animal rights lobbyists are pushing to add provisions from the Puppy Protection Act (HR 1624/S 5072) and the Better CARE for Animals Act (H.R. 5041/Senate Bill 2555) to the Farm Bill, and we need your help to stop these proposals.
These amendments, which could happen late this year, or into early 2025 in a Farm Bill extension, could undermine years of work to ensure proper animal care and create burdensome requirements for small hobby breeders caught up in the regulation intended for large professional facilities. If passed, proposals from these bills would harm responsible breeders and dog owners, reduce the flexibility needed to care for dogs based on their unique needs, and create unnecessary confusion in enforcement of existing animal welfare laws.
Take Action Today!
We urge you to contact your U.S. Senators and House Representative and ask them to support the committee-passed version of the House Farm Bill (HR 8467) without any amendments related to dogs. The committee-passed version already includes important provisions that will improve animal welfare without overregulating responsible breeders. The Farm Bill could be extended into 2025, so even if action is delayed a month or two, your action now is still crucial!
Here’s how you can help:
- Visit the AKC Legislative Action Center at akcgr.org/officials.
- Enter your address or state to find the contact information for your U.S. Senators and House Representative.
- Call, email, or leave a voice message to respectfully ask your lawmakers to:
- Support the House Agriculture Committee-passed version of the Farm Bill (HR 8467) with NO additional amendments related to dogs.
- Optionally, ask them to oppose any added language from the Puppy Protection Act or the Better CARE for Animals Act. These measures are harmful to responsible breeders and do nothing to improve the wellbeing of dogs.
Why This Matters
The Better CARE for Animals Act and the Puppy Protection Act are problematic for several reasons:
- The Better CARE for Animals Act would shift enforcement of dog breeder licensing from the USDA, an agency with animal welfare expertise, to the DOJ, which has little experience in animal husbandry. This could result in penalties for breeders who have not violated any regulations and threaten small hobby breeders with unnecessary, burdensome rules intended for large commercial breeders.
- The Puppy Protection Act imposes arbitrary and poorly defined requirements, such as mandatory unfettered access to large outdoor exercise areas and pre-breeding screenings with no clear guidelines. These regulations could disrupt best practices for dog care, especially for breeders of certain working dog breeds that require specific conditions for their wellbeing.
What’s in the House Farm Bill (HR 8467)?
The good news is that the House version of the Farm Bill already includes important, balanced measures that will improve animal welfare without harming responsible breeders:
- Additional resources for USDA enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA).
- Reports to Congress on existing enforcement with recommendations for improvement and expanded educational programs.
- A requirement that USDA inspectors report any findings of unrelieved animal suffering to local authorities.
- The Healthy Dog Importation Act, which addresses public health threats related to the importation of unhealthy dogs without unnecessary restrictions on all imported dogs.
Act Now to Protect Responsible Breeders and Purebred Dogs
Time is of the essence—Congress could pass the Farm Bill before the end of the year. By making your voice heard today, you can help ensure that responsible breeders continue to operate without undue interference and that the wellbeing of purebred dogs remains a priority.
Your call, email, or message can make a difference. Together, we can stop these harmful amendments and protect the future of dog breeding in America.
For more information, visit www.akcgr.org.