Legislative Alerts

Yesterday, the Ohio Supreme Court held that the City of Toledo's breed-specific ordinances are constitutional. The ordinances classify dogs that belong to a breed commonly known as pit bulls, or dogs that are pit bull mixes, as vicious. The court's decision effectively overturns a 2006 Ohio Appellate Court decision that found that breed-specific ordinances are […]

The American Kennel Club Canine Legislation Department continues to monitor developments with Ohio Senate Bill 173, and its companion, House Bill 223.  SB 173 will be considered by the Ohio Senate Local Government and Veteran’s Affairs Committee tomorrow, Tuesday, June 26th, at 10AM, during which only legislative sponsor and proponent testimony will be heard.  No […]

It is imperative that breeders and concerned dog owners in Washington, D.C., express their opposition to the Animal Protection Amendment Act, a recently proposed ordinance that, if adopted, will make drastic, unnecessary, and burdensome changes to current District law.  Some of the most onerous provisions of the ordinance would: Take animals outside the realm of […]

The American Kennel Club is alarmed by the provisions of New Jersey Assembly Bill 2649. The proposal attempts to replace New Jersey's already comprehensive and reasonable animal cruelty laws and humane care standards with an unnecessary, confusing, and haphazard system that will not only affect the health of the general public, but will also threaten […]

Massachusetts House Bill 1948, sponsored by Representative Bradford Hill, seeks to establish non-discriminatory, workable methods by which to deal with vicious and potentially dangerous dogs. It has been assigned to the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government, which will consider the bill on Monday, May 14, 2007. It is vitally important that dog owners […]

Last year, Pennsylvania Governor Rendell requested that the Department of Agriculture develop new dog law regulations.  With little input from potentially affected parties, the resulting proposals, as published in January, attempt to impose many egregious requirements upon Pennsylvania dog breeders, including: Requiring licensing of thousands of small residential hobby and show breeding households under a […]