On Tuesday, May 6, 2025, the Maine Legislature’s Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (Committee) is scheduled to accept public testimony on LD 1771, “An Act to Strengthen Oversight of Kennels by Changing the Licensing Authority from Municipalities to the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry”. The bill would require a hobby kennel owner to:
- Apply for and maintain a $50 state animal care facility license;
- Annually submit proof of a kennel inspection completed by your town’s animal control officer (ACO) or a state humane agent if the town has no ACO, between the December 31 license expiration date and January 31;
- Pay for and acquire individual municipal dog licenses for every dog owned ($11 for each intact dog) due to the elimination of the option of receiving up to 10 kennel license tags for dogs owned under one $42 municipal kennel license; and
- Pay violation fines of not less than $50 nor more than $200 per day.
The American Kennel Club (AKC) strongly endorses the right to own, keep and breed dogs in a responsible and humane manner for hunting, show, training, field trials, sledding, competition or exhibition purposes. AKC strongly opposes LD 1771 because it would negatively impact owners whose dogs participate in those activities. Among many concerns, it would eliminate the hobby breeders’ municipal kennel license, which allows kennel owners to confirm current rabies vaccination records for up to 10 dogs under the one license. Instead, LD 1771 would require a kennel owner to pay for a state license issued under the state agriculture department’s authority to license and regulate animal “facilities”. Additionally, kennel owners have no authority over municipal animal control officers to ensure pre-license inspections are performed in a timely manner in order to satisfy the state license application inspection deadlines.
A hobby kennel is typically a home-based endeavor involving five or more personally owned dogs for breeding, hunting, show, training, field trials, sledding, competition or exhibition purposes. In contrast, Maine’s licensed animal facilities are commercial businesses that must meet stringent standards, such as ventilation, lighting, drainage, waste disposal, fire safety equipment, isolation areas and structural regulations. By inappropriately categorizing the hobby breeder as a “facility”, LD 1771 would make compliance with department state license rules and regulations a virtual impossibility for home-based hobby breeders.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Maine residents are encouraged to speak in person at the 1PM, May 6, 2025, public hearing. Sign in when you arrive at Room 214, Cross Building, 100 State House Station, Augusta, Maine 04333. Bring 20 copies of written testimony to submit to committee members.
- If unable to attend, residents can register to testify remotely via zoom. Go to this Maine State Legislature form and select “public hearing”.
- Scroll down to “Choose a committee” and select “Agriculture, Conservation And Forestry” from the drop-down menu.
- Select date “May 06, 2025, 1:00PM” and choose bill “LD 1771 – An Act to Strengthen Oversight of Kennels by Changing the Licensing Authority from Municipalities to the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry”.
- Select your position as “oppose”. If you wish, you can add comments and/or upload written testimony in a file. You may also check the box allowing you to testify electronically over zoom. (A link will be sent to you.)
- Complete your contact information and hit the “submit/register” button.
If unable to testify, Maine residents should email opposition to Committee members.
| Senator Rachel Talbot Ross – Chair Rachel.talbotross@Legislature.Maine.gov |
| Senator Russell Black Russell.Black@legislature.maine.gov |
| Senator Henry Ingwersen Henry.Ingwersen@Legislature.Maine.gov |
| Representative Bill Pluecker – Chair William.Pluecker@Legislature.Maine.gov |
| Representative Stephan Bunker Stephan.Bunker@Legislature.Maine.gov |
| Representative Mark Cooper Mark.Cooper@Legislature.Maine.gov |
| Representative Dean Cray dean.cray@legislature.maine.gov |
| Representative Jim Dill James.Dill@legislature.maine.gov |
| Representative Sharon Frost Sharon.Frost@Legislature.Maine.gov |
| Representative Timothy Guerrette Timothy.Guerrette@Legislature.Maine.gov |
| Representative Allison Hepler Allison.Hepler@Legislature.Maine.gov |
| Representative Caldwell Jackson Caldwell.Jackson@Legislature.Maine.gov |
Consider these talking points with a subject line noting opposition to LD 1771:
- A hobby kennel houses five (5) or more personally owned dogs for private use such as improving the breed, showing, hunting, sledding, or competition. It is not operated as a business and does not have commercial zoning, staff, infrastructure or a state facility license.
- An animal care facility state licensee is a business operation open to the public and offering goods, services, and accommodations involving the boarding, breeding, or sale of dogs not born or raised on the premises. It includes pet shops, boarding kennels, and large-scale breeders.
- It is unacceptable to categorize, license and regulate a hobby kennel as an animal care facility.
For more information on these or other legislative issues in Maine, contact AKC’s Government Relations Department at 919-816-3720 or doglaw@akc.org.