Yesterday, the New York Assembly Agriculture Committee approved an amended version of a bill that as introduced would have been detrimental to many home-based breeders in New York.
AKC thanks the Associated Dog Clubs of New York State and all the club members and breeders who have taken the time to contact New York lawmakers regarding these bills both in 2025 and 2026. Your determination and efforts have made a difference!
AKC also extends our appreciation to Chairwoman Lupardo and the Assembly Agriculture Committee, as well as bill sponsors Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal and Senator Mike Gianaris for agreeing to these important amendments.
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.
As introduced, Assembly Bill 8653 and its companion Senate Bill 8252 would have significantly changed 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.” This would have required those who breed as few as one litter to comply with laws designed for commercial operations – many of which were not possible in a home-based environment.
The current version of A. 8653 approved in the Assembly Agriculture Committee addresses the primary concern of the AKC and the Associated Dog Clubs of New York State by changing the threshold of breeders who are required to be regulated by the state back to current law.
The amended version also prohibits the sale of dogs by those who are not the breeders, and AKC has requested some clarifications.
The companion Senate Bill 8252 has also been amended to mirror the Assembly bill.
Next Steps:
Assembly Bill 8653 now goes to the Assembly Codes Committee. Senate Bill 8252 remains pending in the Senate Agriculture Committee. AKC will provide more information and updates as they are available.
For questions or more information, contact AKC Government Relations at doglaw@akc.org.