SUMMARY:
On Thursday, March 28, 2024, the New Hampshire House of Representatives is expected to vote on House Bill 1102, an extremist bill that seeks to describe brachycephaly as a “birth deformity that causes suffering” and would criminalize the sale and breeding of brachycephalic dogs and any dog that could be claimed to have a birth deformity. It is imperative that all concerned New Hampshire residents, and all concerned New Hampshire purebred dog breeders and owners, contact their state representative to respectfully urge they vote HB 1102 as “Inexpedient to Legislate” (ITL).
Click here to learn more about the threats posed by HB 1102.
BACKGROUND:
Earlier this month, the American Kennel Club (AKC), the New Hampshire Dog Owners of the Granite State (NH DOGS), the New Hampshire Veterinary Medical Association, representatives of numerous parent clubs, and many other individuals and organizations expressed opposition to HB 1102 in a public hearing. Then, after its own public deliberations, an overwhelming majority of the House Environment and Agriculture Committee (Committee) voted HB 1102 as “Inexpedient to Legislate”, meaning it recommends that the full House neither approve nor further consider the bill for the remainder of this year. While all committee members expressed sympathy for health problems some animals may face, the majority found the bill’s wording of the conditions that would trigger an animal cruelty charge to be unclear and problematic, and that many brachycephalic dogs do not exhibit health problems. However, a minority of committee members, despite recognizing that “most breeders are reputable and take great care to breed healthy dogs,” voted the bill to be formally referred for interim study, which would allow it time to further understand how, “the suffering of several breeds can be reduced or eliminated.”
Reports by both the majority that voted HB 1102 as ITL, and the minority that voted that HB 1102 be sent to interim study, were issued on Thursday, March 21, 2024.
FULL HOUSE TO VOTE THIS THURSDAY:
On Thursday, March 28, 2024, the New Hampshire House of Representatives will hear the majority and minority reports of the Committee on HB 1102, then all members of the House in attendance will vote for or against the majority’s motion to “ITL the bill” (i.e., end any further consideration of this bill). If a majority agrees with the Committee’s recommendation, HB 1102 will be defeated for the year. If, however, the majority does not agree with the Committee’s recommendation, a majority of Representatives may vote to send the bill to interim study or amend the language of the bill before sending it to the Senate.
TAKE ACTION TODAY! HERE’S HOW:
All New Hampshire residents and responsible dog owners and breeders are encouraged to immediately reach out to their New Hampshire State Representatives and respectfully urge them to accept the Environment and Agriculture Committee’s majority report and “ITL HB 1102”.
- Click here to go to the New Hampshire House of Representatives website, then select your town from the drop-down menu.
- On the following page, click the name of your state representative.
- Then, on the next page, click your state representative’s email address. This should open a new email with your representative’s email address automatically populated. (Depending on your computer or mobile device settings, you may also have to cut the email address and paste it into the To: field of a new email.)
- In the subject line, type “Oppose HB 1102”.
- Include your name and town in your email explaining why HB 1102 is a bad idea.
Please feel free to use these talking points in urging opposition to HB 1102:
- “Brachycephaly” describes animal head shape. It does not mean unhealthy.
- An inability to guarantee breeding of only healthy animals should not be a crime.
- Support the partnerships of veterinarians, animal welfare organizations, and breeders who continue to improve animal health.
- Proponents failed to substantiate that unhealthy dogs are produced by New Hampshire breeders.
- New Hampshire Dog Owners of the Granite State, American Kennel Club, the New Hampshire Veterinary Medical Association, and the American Veterinary Medical Association oppose HB 1102.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
AKC’s Government Relations Department (GR) will continue to provide updates on HB 1102 and all pending New Hampshire legislation. For more information or to learn more about how you can help in the fight against HB 1102 or other extremist legislation, contact AKC GR at doglaw@akc.org.