Dog breeders in New Hampshire are being targeted by legislation that seeks to make them criminals. The legislation is scheduled for a committee hearing on Tuesday, March 5. Responsible dog breeders and owners across the country are needed to join the fight to defend the rights and reputations of purebred dog breeders and to respectfully educate lawmakers about the issues with the bill.
House Bill 1102 describes brachycephaly as a “birth deformity that causes suffering” and would CRIMINALIZE the sale and breeding of brachycephalic dogs and any dog that could be claimed to have a birth deformity.
Scroll down to read talking points against HB 1102.
While it may appear that HB 1102 only targets a subset of breeders, its expansive language actually targets breeders of all dogs. It is a stark caution for all dog breeders and enthusiasts about the lengths to which animal rights extremists will go to attack the breeding and exhibition of purebred dogs. The American Kennel Club’s Government Relations Department (AKC GR) has learned that anti-breeding, anti-purebred activists across the nation have flooded legislators’ inboxes with messages of support for the extremist bill. Now it is time to ACT!
Purebred dog breeders and owners, along with anyone concerned about stopping the extremist animal rights movement, are strongly encouraged to stand up in the fight to protect breeders by contacting the members of the New Hampshire House Environment and Agriculture Committee to express opposition to House Bill 1102, before it considers the bill on Tuesday, March 5, 2024. It is imperative that they hear from responsible dog breeders and owners who view HB 1102 as a dangerous precedent for similar radical legislative proposals in their states and around the country.
HOW TO TAKE ACTION TODAY!
Breeders and owners from across the country are strongly encouraged to respectfully contact members of the committee who will be hearing the proposal by email prior to March 5. Please feel free to use the talking points provided below.
Click here to email committee members with statements of opposition to House Bill 1102.
(This link will open a new email window, prepopulated with all committee members email addresses.)
TALKING POINTS AGAINST HOUSE BILL 1102:
- HB 1102 will devastate New Hampshire’s ability to produce purebred dogs and will establish a dangerous precedent for radical legislative proposals around the country.
- HB 1102 inaccurately concludes that all brachycephalic animals, including dogs, suffer from serious health issues. In reality, brachycephaly does not equal unhealthy. Across all dog types, multiple factors can contribute to differences in dogs’ breathing, including physical condition, environment, and genetics. Nevertheless, all breeding of brachycephalic breeds–regardless of respiratory quality, breeder background, fancier status, or club affiliation—will be a criminal act under HB 1102, which will have a chilling effect on all responsible dog breeding.
- HB 1102 inaccurately implies that all who breed dogs do so without regard for the dogs’ welfare. Facts demonstrate that responsible purebred dog breeders are passionate about both preserving breed characteristics and producing healthier successive generations.
- Protecting and promoting responsible breeders and the puppies they produce is a better solution than threatening them with criminal prosecution based on inaccurate information that creates a perverse incentive for New Hampshire residents to buy puppies online that are not protected by New Hampshire consumer protection laws.
- By banning intentional breeding when a “birth deformity causes suffering”, HB 1102 targets all breeds, regardless of phenotype. Breeding dogs is part art and part science; and despite best efforts, chance plays a part when it comes to inherited disease or health conditions.
- HB 1102 is unconstitutionally vague. There is no way to know for each breed type how the provisions of HB 1102 would be interpreted and enforced.
Anyone opposed can also register their opinion and upload/submit testimony to NH House Environment and Agriculture Committee via this online platform up until midnight on March 4, 2024. Please note that Information and testimony submitted on this form is entered into the public record for each piece of legislation and will be considered public records subject to disclosure under New Hampshire’s Right to Know Law. Do not submit any personal information you do not wish to disclose publicly.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
AKC GR will continue to provide updates and calls to action on House Bill 1102. For more information or to learn more about how you can help in the fight against it, contact AKC GR at doglaw@akc.org.