Legislative Alerts

Today the Animal Care Division of the United States Department of Agriculture's  Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)  presented a new initiative to enhance  the working relationship  between licensees such as pet breeders,  the veterinarians who attend to their animals' health care needs, and  USDA inspectors.  Under the new initiative, USDA inspectors will be reach  out directly to breeders' veterinarians of […]

Good news out of Springfield, Missouri! City residents voted to overturn a ban that would prohibit any future ‘pit bull’ type dogs from entering the city. The City Council voted 5-4 last October to ban ‘pit bulls’ and the ordinance was scheduled to take effect in January. However, the issue was sent to the ballot […]

The State of Montana is contemplating introducing legislation in its next session (2019) that would prohibit the use of state lands for dog field trials.  While the Montana State Legislature is not currently in session, the interim Environmental Quality Council (EQC) is meeting to discuss this potential legislation, called LCdog3, at its July 26 meeting […]

Massachusetts House Bill 4647 seeks to provide tax credits for individuals who adopt certain dogs from a shelter.  The bill is scheduled to be considered by the General Court’s Joint Revenue Committee on Tuesday, July 17.  Massachusetts residents are encouraged to contact the members of the Joint Revenue Committee and express any concerns they may […]

The City of Palm Springs has removed an item from tonight’s City Council’s meeting agenda regarding a proposed ordinance that would have banned all dog and cat breeding within the city limits. The City Clerk’s office and the City Manager’s office have both just confirmed to AKC Government Relations that the item has been pulled […]

The City of Palm Springs will formally introduce a proposal tomorrow (July 11) that will ban all “backyard breeding”, defined as any breeding for a business or commercial purpose on residential property. Those who reside or exhibit in Palm Springs are strongly encouraged to contact the city council TODAY and ask them to oppose the […]

On Friday, Ohio Governor John Kasich signed a law that will have a significant positive impact on dogs, dog owners, breeders, and sportsmen throughout Ohio. House Bill 506, which contains numerous amendments requested by the AKC, is a compromise bill developed with a broad range of stakeholders concerned about animal welfare in the state.  The […]

1PM - AKC Government Relations (AKC GR) has received word that all proposed changes to the City of Dallas’ animal ordinances under consideration today have been passed by the City Council.  Reports indicate that the Council failed to address the concerns expressed by the American Kennel Club (AKC) and by many concerned clubs, breeders, owners, […]

The New York Assembly and Senate officially adjourned, resulting in several victories for responsible owners, breeders, and hobbyists in the state. Thanks to your phone calls and emails, bills did not advance that would have regulated hobby breeders, created unclear regulations for dog trainers, or made dangerous and unreasonable changes to the state’s consumer protection […]

As previously reported, the Dallas City Council will consider changes to its animal ordinances at its Wednesday, June 27, meeting.  The American Kennel Club (AKC) expressed concerns with the proposal, and encouraged residents and other grassroots contacts to also share their concerns with the Dallas City Council.  Late yesterday, stakeholders received feedback from Council staff […]