Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recently expressed support for 2026 legislation that will seek to “crack down on abusive ‘puppy mills’ and strengthen animal welfare standards” in Florida. The governor made the announcement from the grounds of a well-funded animal rescue, which championed extreme anti-breeder legislation filed in the Florida legislature earlier in 2025.
The Governor’s announcement generally described several elements of the upcoming legislation, all of which were part of the 2025 proposals. Although this new legislation has not yet been introduced, the elements of greatest concern in recent legislation include:
- Defining “dog breeder” as a person who owns or possesses a “breeding female dog” (more than six months old and capable of reproduction) and offers dogs bred from the breeding female dog for sale or exchange in return for consideration.
- Defining “dog breeding facility” to mean any location in which a dog breeder has at least one breeding female dog. This would include private homes where an intact female is kept.
- Requiring dog breeders to register with the state, to be renewed annually; and to submit to inspections.
- Requiring the development of standards of care for dog breeding, in consultation only with local government entities and dog rescue organizations. Dog breeders—i.e., those with expertise and knowledge about dog breeding—would not be consulted. Standards would include minimum federal regulations for dog breeding facilities. This means that USDA’s commercial facility standards would be forced upon the private homes of those considered dog breeders.
- Developing limits on the number of breeding females a dog breeder can have, and limits on the number of times a breeding female dog may be bred annually. AKC opposes limit laws, and believes the decision to breed dogs should be made by an owner in consultation with their dog’s veterinarian.
- Allowing for cooperative agreements with any individual, municipality, county, or organization to perform inspections or boarding of confiscated dogs. AKC believes that such activities must only be performed by governmental entities with properly trained staff.
- Creating a publicly available database of registered dog breeders, dog breeding facility certificates of inspection, and administrative actions taken against any individual, dog breeder, dog breeding facility, or retail establishment, potentially violating a person’s privacy rights and incentivizing dog theft and harassment by anti-breeder activists.
- Establishing a whistleblower program with a reward system for any individual who alerts the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services about a violation. Funding would have been provided through fines or agreements with private organizations. This would have effectively created a bounty program funded by anti-breeding organizations, with no attestation or other substantiation required; and be subject to abuse by anti-breeding activists. AKC believes private money should stay out of enforcement activities.
HOW FLORIDA RESIDENTS SHOULD PREPARE FOR 2026 LEGISLATION
- Sign up to receive Legislative Alerts from the American Kennel Club’s Government Relations Department. Go to akcgr.org/sign_in/ and enter the required information to receive legislative alerts for Florida residents.
- Visit AKCGR’s Breeder Regulations & Restrictions Key Issues page to learn more about responsible dog breeding practices and misinformation that often accompanies radical efforts ban dog breeding.
- Follow the Florida Association of Kennel Clubs (FAKC) on Facebook (www.facebook.com/FAKC.org).
- Contact your state representatives and state senators and encourage them to pursue only reasonable dog-related legislation that all stakeholders have had a chance to have input in.
For More Information, contact AKC Government Relations at doglaw@akc.org.
Sharing Your concerns now can help prevent passage of anti-breeder bills