Legislative Alerts

Last week, House Bill 344, which seeks to ban the surgical devocalization of dogs, passed the Massachusetts House of Representatives. The bill is now under the consideration of the Senate Committee on Rules and Ethics. The American Kennel Club is concerned that, if enacted, this legislation will lead to the unnecessary euthanization of many animals.  […]

Two bills currently under consideration by the Oklahoma legislature seek to regulate some responsible dog breeders.  Representative Lee Denney of Cushing, who sponsored House Bill 1332 in 2009, is currently sponsoring House Bill 2745.  Known as the "Oklahoma Pet Quality Assurance and Protection Act," the bill seeks to create a voluntary program of compliance for […]

The Joint Committee on the Environment will hear Senate Bill 274, this Monday, March 8. As currently written, this bill would prohibit as “unreasonable” the tethering of dogs and the use of primary dog enclosures smaller than 100 square feet. The American Kennel Club is concerned by the strict requirements and the current wording of […]

Missouri House Joint Resolution 86, sponsored by Representative Tom Loehner, seeks to protect the right of Missouri residents to raise animals in a humane manner that promotes animal health without the state imposing undue economic burdens on owners.  Both the American Kennel Club and the Missouri Federation of Animal Owners support this measure.  All responsible […]

Senate Bill 1276, sponsored by Senator Tony Hill, seeks to remove Florida's existing statute that prevents local governments from implementing breed-specific laws.  The American Kennel Club (AKC) and the Florida Association of Kennel Clubs both strongly oppose this bill.  The bill will be considered by the Senate Community Affairs Committee on Thursday, March 4.  We […]

Recently, both houses of the Iowa General Assembly passed versions of House File 2280, which seeks to provide for regulation of commercial establishments that handle dogs and cats.  The now–enrolled version of this bill provides the following: Major Provisions: With only one small change regarding racing Greyhounds, the bill continues to use the definition of […]

Senate Resolution 393 Joins Earlier House of Representatives Resolution 160 The American Kennel Club® (AKC), the nation’s largest and only not-for-profit all-breed dog registry, is pleased to announce that in honor of its 125th anniversary, the United States Senate passed S. Res. 393 yesterday in recognition of AKC’s many years of contributions to responsible dog […]

The American Kennel Club is closely monitoring Arizona House Bill 2375, which seeks to ban the ownership, sale, harboring, or transportation of "dangerous wildlife". As introduced, HB 2375 would have defined all carnivores as "dangerous wildlife" with no exceptions, thereby banning Arizonans from owning and selling dogs in the state.  The bill, which passed the […]

The American Kennel Club Government Relations Department has just learned that Illinois House Bill 5771, which seeks to impose both government oversight over most responsible dog breeders and litter limits, has been removed from tomorrow’s agenda of the Illinois House Agriculture and Conservation Committee. The Government Relations Department will report new developments regarding HB 5771 […]

At their January 26th meeting the Memphis City Council will consider an ordinance to require that all "pit bulls" over 8 weeks of age be sterilized unless the owner qualifies for a medical exemption, operates a commercial kennel or the dog is recognized as a show dog. "Pit bulls" are defined as American Pit Bull […]