A bill has been introduced in the Philadelphia City Council that would impose a 36-month moratorium on the breeding and the sale or transfer of any dog under 7 months of age within the city to address overcrowding at the city’s shelters.
You are encouraged to act now and mobilize others to protect responsible breeding and dog ownership in Philadelphia. Scroll down for contact information.
Summary:
Bill No. 250989, assigned to the Rules Committee, does include limited exemptions; however, it would significantly restrict responsible, small-scale, American Kennel Club–affiliated breeders, while failing to address the real sources of shelter crowding.
The bill exempts any person or entity holding a valid Pennsylvania Dog Law kennel license, which is required if one keeps, harbors, boards, or transfers a total of 26 or more dogs in a calendar year. However, this penalizes many Philadelphia hobbyists, as very few breeders in the Philadelphia city limits meet this threshold.
Talking Points and Contact Information:
While this legislation has yet to be scheduled for a hearing, we urge you to reach out to the sponsor, Cindy Bass, and members of the City Council Rules Committee and respectfully urge them to oppose this proposal, or provide reasonable exemptions for responsible hobbyists in Philadelphia.
Members of the Rules Committee are Chair, Cindy Bass, Vice Chair, Mark Squilla, Katherine Gilmore Richardson, Curtis Jones, Jr., Brian J. O’Neill, Isaiah Thomas, and Jamie Gauthier.
(click on the names above to directly contact the members)
When contacting the committee, explain that instead of addressing irresponsible breeding and shelter population concerns, this legislation places the greatest burden on responsible hobby breeders. If you are a hobby breeder in the city, let them know all the steps you take to ensure you are raising and selling healthy, well-bred animals, and what you do to ensure your dogs do not end up in the city’s shelter.
For more information, contact AKC’s Government Relations Department at (919) 816-3720, or email doglaw@akc.org.
AKC GR along with the Pennsylvania Federation of Dog Clubs, will continue to monitor this and other legislation that impact the rights of dog owners and the dogs they love.