The Philadelphia City Council will be holding a final vote on Thursday, February 19, on a three-year moratorium on the breeding, sale, and transfer of puppies under seven months of age in Philadelphia.
Today at a full council meeting, a few amendments were adopted, but they do not address the concerns with this proposal. There also continues to be emphasis on encouraging hobbyists to simply obtain a state kennel license in order to be exempt from this ban.
You are strongly encouraged to act now and mobilize others to protect responsible breeding and dog ownership in Philadelphia by contacting members of City Council. Those who live in the city should also contact their district council member and all at-large members. Even if you have previously contacted them, reach out again to the city council and state the following:
- Oppose Bill 250989 as written due to the many unanswered questions and unintended consequences lurking in the proposal.
- Hold Bill 250989 and establish a short-term discussion group that includes all impacted parties from the Pennsylvania Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement, to shelters and recuses, responsible breeders, and the city to work on a solution that addresses the shelter overcrowding issues without adversely impacting those who are not contributing to the problem.
- Requiring all breeders to obtain a state license is not a viable solution. These licenses are for those who sell or transfer over 26 dogs in a year. It is unclear how the licensing requirements and inspections will be applied to those who raise one litter in their home.
- Let the council know how a three-year moratorium would impact your breeding program
Contact the Council:
To submit written testimony, email chiefclerk@phila.gov in pdf format and include Bill 250989.
The emails for the district council members are as follows:
District 1: Mark.Squilla@phila.gov
District 2: Kenyatta.Johnson@phila.gov (Council President)
District 3: Jamie.Gauthier@phila.gov
District 4: Curtis.Jones@phila.gov
District 5: Jeffery.Young@phila.gov
District 6: Mike.Driscoll@phila.gov
District 7: Quetcy.Lozada@phila.gov
District 8: Cindy.Bass@phila.gov
District 9: Anthony.Phillips@phila.gov
District 10: Brian.ONeill@phila.gov
The emails for the at-large council members are:
Katherine.G.Richardson@phila.gov
Nina.Ahmad@phila.gov
Rue.Landau@phila.gov
Isaiah.Thomas@phila.gov
Jim.Harrity@phila.gov
Kendra.Brooks@phila.gov
Nicolas.ORourke@phila.gov
Telephone numbers and web-based contact forms can be found by clicking this link and then clicking on the individual member.
For more information, contact AKC’s Government Relations Department at 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.