Legislation is likely to move any time in the New York legislature that could force virtually every hobby breeder in the state to be licensed, inspected, and regulated as pet dealers.
As mentioned in a previous alert, Senate Bill 8252 and Assembly Bill 8653 include some clarifying language to address the ban on dog and cat sales in pet stores that will go into effect in December 2025, they would also require anyone who breeds and sells/offers to sell nine animals in a year that were born and raised on a residential premises to be licensed and regulated as commercial pet dealers. While AKC appreciates that the bill has been clarified to apply to sales within a year rather than a lifetime, it is still of significant concern.
This would represent a dramatic policy shift, which supporters are claiming should go forward because it was the intent that this new definition of “Pet Dealers” be included in the original pet store ban. This claim could cause this legislation to advance.
This is the final week of the legislative session, and bills can move very quickly and with almost no warning in the rush to adjourn. The bills are assigned to the Assembly and Senate Agriculture Committees. It is essential for New York residents to take the following actions TODAY in opposition to the pet dealer definition in Senate Bill 8252 and Assembly Bill 8653:
1) Call and email the members of the Senate Agriculture Committee.
2) Call and email the members of the Assembly Agriculture Committee.
3) Call and email your personal State Assemblymember and State Senator.
Since lawmakers are currently receiving thousands of emails on a variety of issues, please also consider calling your lawmakers and leaving a message with both their Albany office and district office. Even leaving a voicemail after hours can make a difference! Visit the American Kennel Club’s (AKC) Legislative Action Center at www.akcgr.org/officials and type in your address to get the contact information for your State Assemblymember and State Senator. (Scroll down for more information and talking points)
4) Call the bill sponsors. Respectfully ask them to remove the change to the pet dealer definition. Let them know this impacts home-based hobbyists who may produce only one litter, and it would be virtually impossible for them to comply with the state pet dealer laws. If you their constituent, be sure to mention it when contacting them:
Senator Michael Gianaris (Dist. 12 – Queens County)
Albany – 518-455-3486
Astoria – 718-728-0960
Gianaris@nysenate.gov
Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal (Dist. 67- Manhattan)
Albany – 518-455-5802
New York City – 212-873-6368
Online Contact Form
5) Forward this email to your fellow club members, breeders, and exhibitors in New York.
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 9 animals per year, or 25 if the animals were born and raised on the person’s premises.
Assembly Bill 8653 and Senate Bill 8252 would significantly change the definition of regulated pet breeder to simply “any person who breeds animals and sells or offers to sell more than nine animals that are born and raised on such a person’s residential premises directly to a consumer.” The exemption for those selling fewer than 25, has been removed.
Talking Points:
Consider the following talking points when contacting your state lawmakers:
- Tell them you are a hobby breeder in New York and ask them to oppose Assembly Bill 8653 and Senate Bill 8252.
- This is not simply language clarifying a new law for pet stores, this is a major change that would require the state to license and regulate home-based breeders – and inspect private homes.
- The current pet dealer laws are intended for commercial operations. It is simply not possible for someone who raises a litter in their home to meet commercial operations standards. For example, pet dealers 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.
- This will place significant burdens and costs on state and local agencies and New York taxpayers. All pet dealers must be inspected prior to obtaining a license by the state. This will require the state to conduct significantly more inspections due to the large increase in applicants. 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, so it is not necessary to license them as pet dealers to ensure they are breeding and raising dogs in a responsible manner.
AKC strongly supports current laws regarding cruelty and neglect for all animal owners. However, these bills assume that hobbyists are commercial operations and would regulate them as commercial businesses. Rather than establishing arbitrary new regulations for hobby breeders that would be impossible to meet, 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.
AKC Government Relations will continue to provide updates as they are available. For more information, contact doglaw@akc.org.