Legislative Alerts

A bill has been introduced in the Nevada Senate to regulate anyone who wants to breed and sell dogs, regardless of the number.  Senate Bill 241 would require all breeders, regardless of how many dogs owned, to pay a $500 annual fee in order to breed and sell puppies.  It would also impose numerous other […]

West Virginia House Bill 2843, sponsored by Delegates Daniel Poling of Wood, Virginia Mahan of Summers, Nancy Guthrie of Kanawha, Roy Givens of Brooke, and Tom Azinger of Wood, seeks to define commercial dog breeders and to impose limits on the ownership of dogs.  Similar to many bills introduced in legislatures across the country in […]

Washington SB 5651 will be considered by the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday, March 19th, at 10:00AM, in House Hearing Room A, in the John L. O'Brien Building, 504 15th Avenue SW, in Olympia, WA 98504. SB 5651 is part of a radical national legislative agenda aimed at limiting the freedoms and liberties of Americans […]

SB 139 which sought to ban cropping and docking in Illinois, has been amended to remove all substantive language from the bill. It now simply exists as a placeholder or "shell", should the sponsor choose to revisit the issue later in session.  AKC will continue to monitor this legislation and will update our website if new language […]

Two mandatory spay/neuter bills have been filed in the Texas Legislature.  House Bill 4277, sponsored by Representative Jose Menendez of San Antonio, and Senate Bill 1845, sponsored by Senator Leticia Van de Putte also of San Antonio, will require that all dogs over six months of age be sterilized.  The American Kennel Club (AKC) and […]

A bill has been introduced in the Arkansas Senate that requires owners of 12 or more dogs of any age to purchase an annual license for the right to maintain ownership of the dogs, regardless of whether the animals are on your property.  "Owner" is defined as someone who meets any of the following criteria: […]

Oregon Representative Vicki Berger has introduced legislation that would require "pit bull" owners to maintain $1 million in insurance coverage. It is important that all responsible dog owners, fanciers, and breeders contact the bill’s sponsor and members of the House Consumer Protection Committee and oppose House Bill 2852. House Bill 2852 would require owners of "pit […]

The AKC urges all responsible dog owners and breeders to call or email your state legislators TODAY regarding two important pieces of legislation that are scheduled for consideration on Tuesday, March 11 and Wednesday, March 12, 2009. It is crucial that constituents communicate their opposition to these measures immediately. Although we are awaiting amendments for […]

Alderman Burke has postponed a vote on the proposed mandatory spay/neuter ordinance. Over 130 people signed up to address the committee about the issue and several aldermen questioned whether this was an effective and economical policy for the city to pursue. AKC thanks the many breeders and responsible owners who attended the meeting as well […]

North Carolina House Bill 460, sponsored by Representative Maggie Jeffus of Greensboro and Representative Margaret Highsmith Dickson of Fayetteville, and its companion bill, Senate Bill 460, sponsored by Senators Don Davis of Snow Hill and Senator Don Vaughan of Greensboro, have been filed.  The bills seek to regulate the commercial breeding of dogs in North […]