Legislative Alerts

The Indiana House Courts and Criminal Code Committee has agreed to hear a proposed amendment that would require any breeder who owns 10 or more intact female dogs over four months old to register as a commercial breeder.  The amendment also bans ownership of more than 20 intact dogs that are a year of age […]

The Maryland House of Representatives Judiciary Committee is scheduled to hear a strict breeders bill on Thursday, February 12. Maryland Delegate Michael Smigiel has introduced House Bill 495, which, like Senate Bill 318, aims to strictly regulate dog breeders in Maryland by imposing ownership limits, strict enclosure and exercise requirements, and other requirements. The American […]

The New Hampshire House Environment and Agriculture Committee is scheduled to hear House Bill 337 on Wednesday, February 11. This measure would prevent any dog owner from selling more than one dog or cat per year without a temporary license, which expires after 60 days. The AKC urges all responsible dog owners, fanciers, and breeders […]

Late Wednesday, the Colorado House Agriculture Committee voted to table indefinitely House Bill 1172, which sought to strictly regulate dog breeders. HB 1172 would have: limited the number of dogs a person could own to 25, provided the Commissioner of Agriculture with extraordinary rulemaking powers, and have infringed upon privacy rights by allowing inspections of […]

Maryland Senator Lisa Gladden has introduced Senate Bill 318, a bill that aims to strictly regulate dog breeders in Maryland by imposing ownership limits, strict enclosure and exercise requirements, and other requirements.  It is imperative that all concerned responsible dog breeders and owners in Maryland contact their State Senator and the members of the Senate […]

Hawaii Senator Colleen Hanabusa, president of the Hawaii Senate, has introduced Senate Bill 79, which seeks to prohibit the ownership, possession, or sale of "pit bulls" in the state.  The bill defines pit bulls as American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, or any dog exhibiting those distinguishing characteristics which substantially conform to the breed standards […]

Nebraska Senator Ken Haar has introduced LB 677, a bill that aims to strictly regulate most dog breeders in Nebraska by imposing ownership limits, dog breeding restrictions, and harsh and unenforceable engineering standards. It is imperative that all concerned responsible dog breeders and owners in Nebraska contact their State Senator and the members of the […]

Virginia dog owners won a major victory on January 26, when the Virginia Senate Agriculture Committee defeated a mandatory spay/neuter bill by an 8-6 vote. Senate Bill 1151 imposed a mandatory spay/neuter requirement on dogs picked up by animal control more than once. AKC opposes the concept of the mandatory spay/neuter of purebred dogs. Instead, […]

Two Minnesota Senate proposals, SF 7 and SF 201, each featuring different breeder regulation proposals, will be heard on Tuesday, January 27, by the Senate Agriculture and Veterans Affairs Committee. It is vitally important that all responsible dog breeders and owners in Minnesota attend Tuesday’s committee hearing to express their positions on these bills or […]

Responsible dog owners won a decisive victory Thursday afternoon when the Montana House Local Government Committee voted 17-1 against a bill to ban "pit bulls" in the state. House Bill 191 prohibited the ownership, harboring, or keeping of dogs described as "pit bulls".  "Pit bulls" was defined to include Staffordshire Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, […]