Last June, the Massachusetts General Court’s Joint Municipalities and Regional Government Committee accepted public testimony on H.1774, S. 114, H. 1757, H.1758, H. 1822, H. 1823, and S. 1204, which seek:
- to impose regulatory oversight over personal and commercial kennels,
- mandate annual inspections of all kennels, and
- create consumer protection laws that exempt animal shelters and rescue organizations from providing appropriate remedies.
The American Kennel Club’s (AKC) written testimony can be reviewed here.
Despite opposition and concerns expressed by AKC Government Relations (AKC GR), the Massachusetts Federation of Dog Clubs, and the Congressional Sportsmen Foundation, the committee has again extended its time to decide if it will release any of these bills favorably. A committee vote is now expected before May 8, 2020.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Massachusetts residents are strongly encouraged to immediately email their state representative and state senator to express their concerns with these bills. To identify the email addresses for your representative and senator, simply click this link and type in your home address.
Comments in opposition may include:
- The bills under review by the Joint Municipalities and Regional Government Committee impacting dogs and their owners, fail to provide the same public health, safety, and consumer protections for the tens thousands of dogs and cats imported each year by “rescues” and shelters.
- If passed, the bills would result in disparate impacts for personal kennels where dogs are specifically owned and bred for the betterment of their respective breed and/or for sport, trialing, or working purposes; search and rescue; police K9s; service dogs; explosive detection canines; and other important functions.
- 1822 would significantly restrict the time periods and manner in which a dog may be securely confined outside if unattended, among other arbitrary confinement measures impacting working breeds.
For more information on these or other legislative issues in Massachusetts, contact AKC’s Government Relations Department at 919-816-3720 or doglaw@akc.org; or MassFed at info@massfeddogs.org.