Today the New York Senate Agriculture Committee held a bill regulating hobby breeders and passed a bill banning debarking.
The American Kennel Club (AKC) thanks all those who took the time to contact the committee regarding the bill regulating hobbyists. We urge everyone to continue contacting the committee and your State Senator.
Below is more information on both bills and how you can continue to help us fight:
S. 3026- Debarking Ban
Passed Committee, pending Senate vote
This bill, introduced in 2025, would ban debarking unless medically necessary to correct an injury or illness. AKC opposes the portion of Senate Bill 3026 that would restrict the rights of responsible dog owners to make viable, safe decisions on behalf of their pets in conjunction with their veterinarians.
Debarking, or “bark softening”, is a veterinary procedure that humanely softens a dog’s bark. The dog may still bark, but at a softer volume. When performed correctly by a licensed veterinarian, the procedure is non-invasive, takes just a couple minutes to perform, and has no lasting negative effects. In certain circumstances, this procedure could be the difference between the dog being sent to a shelter or staying in a loving home when all other training attempts have failed.
Debarking should only be performed by a qualified veterinarian after behavioral efforts to correct a dog’s excessive barking have failed. As with other veterinary medical decisions, the decision to debark a dog is best left to individual owners and their veterinarians. AKC supports the portion of the bill that bans individuals from performing these procedures.
Visit the key issue page in the AKC Government Relations Legislative Action Center for more information, AKC’s official position on this issue, as other talking points.
What You Can Do: Contact Your State Senator and express your concerns with S. 3026. Visit the AKC Legislative Action Center (www.akcgr.org) and click on the “Find Your Elected Officials” box to get the name and contact information for your State Senator.
S. 8252- Regulating Breeders
Status: Remains in Senate Agriculture, likely to be considered in near future
S. 8252 could force anyone who sells nine (9) dogs in a year, which could be one litter, to be licensed, inspected, and regulated as a pet dealer.
This bill is from the 2025 session, and includes some clarifying language to address the ban on dog and cat sales in pet stores that went into effect in December 2025. However, the bill would also require anyone who, in a year, breeds and sells/offers to sell more than nine animals born and raised on a residential premises to be licensed and regulated as commercial pet dealers.
Read AKC’s previous alert for more information and talking points.
What You Can Do:
While this bill did not receive a vote today, it could be considered by the committee in the very near future. We encourage AKC club members to do the following:
Contact your State Senator – Visit the AKC Legislative Action Center at www.akcgr.org and click on “Find Your Elected Officials” to get the name and contact information for your State Senator.
Contact the Members of the Senate Agriculture Committee:
Below is the contact information for the committee. If you are a constituent, be sure to mention that when contacting their office:
Sen. Michelle Hinchey (Chair – Kingston)
hinchey@nysenate.gov
Sen. George Borello (Ranking Member- Jamestown)
borrello@nysenate.gov
Sen. Samra Brouk (Monroe County)
brouk@nysenate.gov
Sen. Patricia Fahey (Amsterdam)
Fahy@nysenate.gov
Sen. Nathalia Fernandez (Bronx)
fernandez@nysenate.gov
Sen. Pamela Helming (Geneva)
helming@nysenate.gov
Sen. Peter Oberacker (Oneonta)
oberacker@nysenate.gov
Sen. Christopher Ryan (Syracuse)
chrisryan@nysenate.gov
Sen. Lea Webb (Binghamton)
leawebb@nysenate.gov
AKC Government Relations will continue to provide updates as they are available. For more information, contact doglaw@akc.org.