Legislative Alerts

Attention Texas dog owners! Rep. Al Edwards of Houston is sponsoring HB1096, a bill which would exempt any cities with a population of over 1.9 million from the current state law prohibiting breed-specific legislation. (Currently this includes the City of Houston only, but rapid growth in Dallas and San Antonio means these cities would be […]

AB418 passed out of the Assembly Committee on Public Safety late yesterday afternoon. The bill, which would ban ear cropping of dogs, now moves to the Assembly Appropriations Committee for fiscal analysis and then on to the full Assembly. Although several concerned fanciers attended yesterday's hearing, they were considerably outnumbered by supporters of AB418. Additionally, […]

West Virginia dog owners should be aware of a fast-moving bill (SB277) that would prohibit the possession, breeding, and sale of exotic animals unless one obtains a special permit. The bill further establishes an Exotic Animal Regulation Board and grants it extensive powers, including the authority to regulate the permitting process, the operation of pet […]

Attention California fanciers! Just a reminder that the Assembly Public Safety Committee will hold a hearing on SB418, a bill to ban ear cropping, on Tuesday April 5th at 9 a.m. in the State Capitol Building, Room 126. We need purebred dog owners to attend and respectfully show their opposition! For more background on AKC's […]

UPDATE! AB418 has been set for hearing in the Assembly Committee on Public Safety on Tuesday, April 5th at 9 a.m. in Room 126. The Animal Council is urging dog clubs to submit formal letters on their own letterhead to the committee consultant. Letters should be clearly marked "AB 418 - Dogs: animal cruelty: ear […]

In the past few months, New Mexico dog owners have been very vocal about expressing their opposition to proposed breed-specific legislation (SB188). However, fanciers are now extremely concerned about two dangerous dog bills that are moving quickly through the legislature - HB400 and SB432. Your help is needed quickly to defeat them. While HB400 and […]

HB1128 has resurfaced in Illinois with amended language that will directly impact anyone who shows and/or breeds dogs. Fanciers will recall that this bill originally would have permitted cities and counties to enact breed-specific laws. Dog owners successfully convinced legislators not to support such language and were pleased to learn that Rep. Jerry Mitchell had […]

Update! Sen. Sandoval’s office has told AKC and the Illinois Dog Clubs and Breeders Association that the Senator has reconsidered his position on SB1790 and will no longer support it. Many thanks to the countless dog owners who responded swiftly to our initial alert with calls and e-mails—your efforts made all the difference! With breed-specific […]

Hobby breeders could soon be considered "dealers" in Tennessee if H148 or its companion S1686 are enacted. Both bills would require anyone who breeds and sells more than one litter of puppies per year to be licensed as a "dealer." In Tennessee, dealers must be inspected by the state and pay anywhere from $125-$1000 annually […]

AB418, Asm. Paul Koretz’s bill to ban ear cropping in California, has been referred to the Assembly Committee on Public Safety. However, no action can be taken on the bill until mid-March. AKC will continue to provide updates as we learn when AB418 is scheduled for a hearing. Read more about this negative legislation in […]