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Monday, March 18, 2019

On Tuesday, March 19, 2019 1:30 PM, in Room 214 of the Cross Building, the Maine Committee on Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry will hear LD 1049, which seeks to provide alternative consumer protection remedies for a buyer of a dog with a life expectancy of less than one year, along with other remedies for a dog with a life expectancy of one to five years, as determined by a veterinarian. LD 1049 would also ban sellers from exempting themselves from providing remedies via contract from dog deaths, or health problems, caused by hereditary or congenital defects that surface more than a year after purchase. These provisions would not apply to dogs purchased from humane societies or shelters.

The American Kennel Club believes that Maine’s current consumer protections—as provided in Title 7, Part 9, Chapter 745, regarding the Sale of Dogs and Cats—appropriately and reasonably address the needs of purchasers; and that LD 1049 is an unreasonable expansion of the law intended to dissuade the purposeful breeding of purebred dogs.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

  1. The committee is scheduled to meet on Tuesday, March 19, 2019, at 1:30pm in Room 214 of the State House, 100 State House Station, Augusta, ME
  2. Contact your state senator and representative to register your concerns. To identify your state senator and contact information search for your home town here. To identify your state representative and contact information search for your home town here.
  3. Concerned residents are also encouraged to contact the members of the committee to directly express concerns. Send your concerns about LD 1049 to ACF@legislature.maine.gov

AKC Government Relations (AKC GR) will provide additional information as developments warrant. For more information, contact AKC GR at doglaw@akc.org.