A bill recently amended in California would require kennels to have an emergency preparedness plan.
Those who wish may use this link and follow the instructions to submit written comments to the author regarding Assembly Bill 1648.
Summary:
Current California code allows for cities or counties in the state to require a kennel license. Under AB 1648, having an animal disaster preparedness plan would be mandatory as a condition of obtaining and keeping a license. This plan should be filed with the city or county where the license is obtained.
Recent amendments filed provide details on what this plan should encompass, including, at a minimum:
- Primary and secondary emergency contact information (including name, phone number, email, and a secondary phone number)
- Address and contact information for the primary evacuation site (and secondary site if available)
- A kennel floor plan
- Location on site of transport resources, and a protocol for transporting the animals
- A protocol for “reunification of the animals or offsite sheltering of unowned animals, as applicable”
- A protocol for accessing a census and other records of the animals
AKC understands the purpose of this bill and amendments is to allow local officials to act quickly to help animals in case of a disaster situation. Those who have a kennel license in their community should review AB 1648 to see how the bill would impact you.
The bill is currently assigned to the Assembly Emergency Management Committee, and a hearing date is expected soon.
AKC continues to closely monitor all bills relating to dog ownership in California and will provide updates as they are available. For more information, contact AKC Government Relations at doglaw@akc.org.