A pair of bills in New York regulating home-based dog breeders were recently amended, but our concerns still remain.
As written, Senate Bill 8252 and Assembly Bill 8653 require anyone who, in a year, breeds and sells/offers to sell more than nine animals born that are raised on a residential premises to be licensed and regulated as commercial pet dealers. Regulations for commercial pet dealers include a number of requirements that are simply not feasible for a private home.
Both bills remain pending in their respective Agriculture Committees. Last year, the bills were ultimately held in the Assembly Agriculture Committee, but there are no guarantees for this year. It is crucial that New York residents contact the Assembly Agriculture Committee as soon as possible. Let them know you oppose Assembly Bill 8653 and ask that the committee not let the bill move forward.
Talking Points:
Consider the following talking points when contacting the Assembly Agriculture Committee:
- Tell them you are a constituent and ask them to oppose Assembly Bill 8653 and its companion Senate Bill 8252.
- This is a major change that could require the state to license and regulate home-based breeders – and inspect private homes.
- The current pet dealer laws are intended for commercial operations, not homes. It is unreasonable to expect a small hobby breeder who raises a litter of puppies in their home to comply with commercial requirements designed for high volume kennels. Moreover, it would be impossible for home-based breeders to comply with some of these commercial requirements. For example, one provision states that regulated pet breeders are required to coordinate with a veterinarian to have regular visits to their premises. It is unlikely veterinarians will be able/willing to make regular visits to private homes, particularly given the current shortage of veterinarians in the state.
- This proposal will place significant burdens and costs on state and local agencies and New York taxpayers. All pet breeders meeting the definition must be inspected prior to obtaining a license by the state. This will require the state to undertake significantly more inspections due to the large increase in applicants who may be raising only a couple puppies. In addition, it will place a large financial and administrative burden on the state and local governments to enforce unnecessary new inspections or requirements for a large new regulated class.
- Home-based breeders are already subject to many state and local laws regarding the humane care of animals, as well as negligence and cruelty laws. Requiring that they comply with commercial requirements will not improve canine wellbeing, and could undermine best practices for carefully raised, home-bred pups.
Summary:
Currently, the State of New York has numerous regulations for “pet dealers”, which are defined as anyone who sells or offers to sell at least nine (9) animals per year, or 25 if the animals were born and raised on the person’s premises.
Assembly Bill 8653 and its companion Senate Bill 8252.would significantly change the definition of a pet dealer (now called a pet breeder in the bills) to simply “any person who breeds animals and sells or offers to sell more than nine animals per year that are born and raised on such a person’s residential premises directly to a consumer.”
The exemption for those selling fewer than 25 would be removed, meaning many who sell just one or two litters in a year would be required to be licensed and regulated as a commercial entity.
The American Kennel Club (AKC) strongly supports current laws regarding cruelty and neglect for all animal owners. However, this bill assumes that hobbyists are commercial operations and would regulate them accordingly. Rather than establishing arbitrary new regulations for hobby breeders, AKC believes a better use for limited resources would be to enforce existing laws and address specific animal control issues where they may already exist.
Contact the Assembly Agriculture Committee:
If you are a constituent, be sure to mention that when contacting their office:
Donna Lupardo, Chair (Dist. 123- Binghamton)
LupardoD@nyassembly.gov
Didi Barrett (Dist. 106- Poughkeepsie)
barrettd@nyassembly.gov
Ken Blankenbush (Dist. 117- Carthage)
blankenbushk@nyassembly.gov
Marianne Buttenschon (Dist. 119- Utica)
buttenschonm@nyassembly.gov
Michael S. Cashman (Dist. 115- Plattsburgh)
cashmanm@nyassembly.gov
Brian Cunningham (Dist. 43- Brooklyn)
cunninghamba@nyassembly.gov
Michael J. Fitzpatrick (Dist. 8 – Smithtown)
FitzpatrickM@nyassembly.gov
Jodi Giglio (Dist. 2 – Riverhead)
giglioj2@nyassembly.gov
Stephen Hawley (Dist. 139 – Albion)
HawleyS@nyassembly.gov
Paula Elaine Kay (Dist. 100- Monticello)
kayp@nyassembly.gov
Dr. Anna R. Kelles (Dist. 125 – Ithaca)
kellesa@nyassembly.gov
John Lemondes (Dist. 126 – Auburn)
lemondesj@nyassembly.gov
Brian D. Miller (Dist. 122 – New Hartford)
millerb@nyassembly.gov
Diana C. Moreno (Dist. 36 – Astoria)
morenod@nyassembly.gov
Steven Raga (Dist. 30 – Woodside)
ragas@nyassembly.gov
Linda B. Rosenthal (Dist. 67 – Manhattan)
Online contact form
Tommy John Schiavoni (Dist. 1 – Sag Harbor)
schiavonitj@nyassembly.gov
Amanda Septimo (Dist. 84 – Bronx)
septimoa@nyassembly.gov
Al Stripe (Dist. 127 – N. Syracuse)
StirpeA@nyassembly.gov
Chris Tague (Dist. 102 – Catskill)
taguec@nyassembly.gov
Jaime R. Williams (Dist. 59 – Brooklyn)
williamsja@nyassembly.gov
Carrie Woerner (Dist. 113 – Saratoga Springs)
woernerc@nyassembly.gov
Stefani Zinerman (Dist. 56 – Brooklyn)
zinermans@nyassembly.gov
AKC Government Relations will continue to provide updates as they are available. For more information, contact doglaw@akc.org.
Thank you.