Last evening, the Cumberland (RI) Town Council decided to delay consideration of changes to their animal ordinance, providing the Board with more time to discuss the impact and for the Chief of Police to personally attend and testify on the record.
As currently worded, item # 18-22A would remove an originally-proposed exemption from the breeder permit requirement for a dog that is a breed approved by and registered with a national or international breed registry and that is actively shown or competing in a sporting competition. Further, the proposed changes would only allow breeder permits to those in areas zoned for kennels or who can secure a special permit.
AKC opposes breeder permits and has serious concerns that the proposal would only result in additional fees for law-abiding responsible dog owners and breeders. Click here for more details in our legislative alert.
We are grateful the town did not yet finalize a vote on the matter and look forward to being of assistance before its next scheduled meeting on November 7th. AKC’s Government Relations Department (AKC GR) will continue to provide updates on Cumberland, and all pending Rhode Island legislation, as appropriate. For more information, contact AKC GR at doglaw@akc.org.