Legislative Alerts

Two bills with a positive impact on Arizona dog owners are moving in the state legislature.  Arizona residents are encouraged to reach out to the legislature and express support for the following bills: House Bill 2323 – Banning Homeowner’s and Renter’s Insurance Dog Breed Discrimination Status: Pending vote by full House of Representatives – Possibly […]

Two bills that seek to criminalize safely tethering a dog are on the agenda of the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee tomorrow, March 16. One of the bills could actually increase the risk of harm to a dog. Dog owners are urged to immediately call and email subcommittee members and respectfully ask them to vote NO […]

Yesterday, the New Jersey Senate Environment and Energy Committee considered two dog-related bills of concern to the American Kennel Club (AKC). As introduced, both measures, SB  333 and 981,  failed to protect ownership interests.  See AKC’s March 11 action alert. As originally worded, Senate Bill 333 sought to permit courts to order the forfeiture of […]

Kansas Senate Bill 551 would establish a new division within the Kansas Department of Agriculture specifically tasked with inspecting pet animal facilities that will include breeders licensed by the state, pet shops, boarding kennels, rescues, distributors, research facilities, and shelters. This division will be known as the Pet Animal Facilities Inspection Division. SB 551 has […]

AKC Government Relations (AKC GR) issued a recent alert encouraging Rhode Island residents to strongly oppose H. 7678, which seeks to create court-appointed legal advocates for animals.  Many of you submitted testimony in opposition (uploaded here) for consideration by the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday, March 10, 2022.  AKC GR greatly appreciates your strong advocacy […]

The Connecticut Joint Planning and Development Committee made one substantive change to HB 5170 and released it favorably to the Legislative Commissioner’s Office for review.  The office will examine the bill to ensure the text is clear, concise and constitutionally sound before advancing. As detailed in the American Kennel Club’s (AKC’s) informational communication last month, […]

The Fauquier County (VA) Planning Commission is holding a public hearing on Thursday, March 17, on clarifying amendments to zoning regulations governing small, non-commercial kennels in the county.  The purpose is to clarify and streamline the numerous permits and licenses currently required for many hobby breeders. Those who wish to comment may attend the public […]

The Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) has proposed rule revisions to implement the changes from House Bill 1102 of 2021, which requires pet stores to disclose specific information to prospective dog purchasers. Under the proposal, pet stores are required to: On all advertisements, including websites and social media posts, include the purchase price of the […]

As part of its required five-year review process, the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) has proposed extensive changes to regulations applying to high volume breeders, pet stores, and dog brokers.  The American Kennel Club (AKC) encourages anyone potentially affected by the proposals to express their comments or concerns to ODA in one of the methods […]

This week, committees in the New York Assembly and Senate approved bills that would provide further protections against dog breed discrimination in homeowners insurance policies. Senate Bill 8315 is now pending a vote by the full Senate, and Assembly Bill 9284 could also be scheduled for a vote soon. It is important for New York […]