Monday, June 3, 2019
The American Kennel Club (AKC) is seriously concerned the New Hampshire Senate will adopt a “pet vendor” definition that includes all breeders, in conflict with federal and other New England state laws.
Last week the Senate Finance committee approved an amended version of SB 161 defining “pet vendor” as anyone who transfers 25 or more dogs in a 12-month period. In our view, hobby breeders are not in the business of raising and selling animals and should not be classified as commercial entities this way. If the current New Hampshire law is changed and “commercial kennel” eliminated (to become treated as pet vendors instead), breeders may be:
- Restricted to local commercial zoning laws
- Subject to inspection of their homes
- Confused by the inconsistency with federal law
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Call your state Senator before Thursday and ask them:
Please DO NOT lump breeders into a legal definition of “pet vendor”. Please do not confuse the two, which are separate under federal law, current NH law, and the other New England states.
To identify contact information for your state Senator, go to http://gencourt.state.nh.us/Senate/members/wml.aspx
AKC Government Relations (AKC GR) will provide additional information as developments warrant. For more information, contact AKC GR at doglaw@akc.org.