A bill recently amended in the California Assembly Appropriations Committee would require kennels to have an emergency preparedness plan.
The bill has passed committees and will likely be considered soon by the full Assembly. Those who wish to contact their Assemblyperson regarding Assembly Bill 1648 may do so by typing your address on the State Assembly’s “Find Your California Representative” page.
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.
As originally introduced, the bill required a number of specific items to be included in the plan. However, these items were all removed in the Appropriations Committee. Now, the bill simply requires that a “kennel owner create and submit to the city or county an animal natural disaster evacuation plan for any kennel covered by the license or permit.” There are no longer any specific requirements regarding what a kennel owner should include in their disaster preparedness plan.
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.
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.