The Massachusetts Senate could soon consider a bill with negative impacts on owning, breeding, and training dogs. Massachusetts residents are strongly encouraged to use the information below to contact your State Senator TODAY and ask them to oppose Senate Bill 1322, as written.
Summary:
The Massachusetts Senate is being strongly encouraged to favorably pass SB 1322, in response to dog injuries and deaths at dog daycare facilities – one subset of “commercial boarding or training kennels” defined at MGL c. 140 § 136A, (which provides definitions for all Massachusetts municipal kennel licensing and oversight laws).
Preventing such tragedies ought to be a business priority, and the American Kennel Club (AKC) supports proper care and interaction with pets. However, SB 1322 has provisions specific to individual dog owners that would:
- restrict the right to own and keep dogs in a responsible and humane manner
- require compliance with future state rules on “responsible breeding practices”
- make broad and significant changes to state law that would result in duplicative kennel licenses
Furthermore, SB 1322 would impact a large variety of dog and cat businesses, in addition to daycare. Individually tailored approaches appropriately based on the pet service being provided are a more effective solution than adopting one-size-fits-all requirements for all “commercial boarding or training kennels”.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Massachusetts residents are encouraged to find your State Senator’s email by inserting your address here. In your message, be certain to include the bill number, SB 1322, and your address so they know you are a resident in their district.
Here are some talking points:
- SB 1322 impacts individual dog owners and a variety of pet businesses, not just dog daycare, with uniform rules that may not be appropriate in every setting.
- Breeders take many steps, with a veterinarian, to ensure they are producing healthy, socialized dogs. It is not the purview of the state to determine breeding standards.
- Requiring towns to specify, upon inspection, the number of dogs a responsible owner may keep is unacceptable.
- Please oppose SB 1322, as written.
Download this “Fact Sheet for Lawmakers” and attach it to your email too!
AKC Government Relations (GR) will continue to provide updates on this bill and other Massachusetts legislation as developments warrant. For more information on this or other legislative issues in Massachusetts, contact AKC GR at 919-816-3720 or doglaw@akc.org.