The Senate Agriculture Committee will be marking up draft language pertaining to federal dog laws in the 2026 Senate Farm Bill later this month. As introduced, the bill supports important priorities for dog enthusiasts and responsible breeders, including canine health, welfare and the rights of responsible dog owners and breeders.
As a constituent of an important member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, YOU can make a big difference for dogs.
It’s Easy to Make a Difference — Please Act Now!
Click here to contact your Senators in support of the 2026 Senate Farm Bill as Introduced TODAY.
- Ask them to support base text related to Title 12 – related to the Animal Welfare Act — that benefit dogs and responsible breeders.
- Ask them to oppose any amendments to base text.
Even if your Senators already share these concerns, it is important that they hear from YOU, their constituents. Your individual contact makes a difference.
Please call, email, or write to your U.S. Senators A brief call, voice mail, or email can be very effective.
Here are easy steps to send a personalized message:
Click here to contact your Senators in support of the 2026 Senate Farm Bill as Introduced TODAY.
Visit AKC’s Legislative Action Center legislator contact page at https://akcgr.org/officials and type in your address to find the names and contact information for your U.S. Senators.
- Explain you are a constituent. Respectfully share your experience and concerns as a dog owner/breeder/expert.
- Respectfully ask them to support base text of title 12 of the Farm Bill relating to the Animal Welfare Act. Ask them to oppose any amendments to this language.
- If you can, let the AKC Government Relations (AKC GR) team (doglaw@akc.org) know you contacted your lawmakers and if you received any response.
More information/Background:
Positive measures to support in current Senate Farm Bill without amendment.
- Additional resources for USDA to better enforce the AWA and existing regulations. The AWA provides the basis for federal breeder licensing and oversight. AKC supports improved enforcement of AWA violations, including additional resources and reporting for USDA. In recent years, poor enforcement of breeder requirements has resulted in high-profile cases used by anti-breeder groups to undermine the reputation of the vast majority of caring, responsible breeders. Past defunding of educational outreach, including teachable moments, has further undermined a cooperative approach to animal welfare and support of best practices.
- Importation of Live Dogs – Healthy Dog Importation Act – Expands USDA’s electronic health documentation requirements for pets entering the United States to protect pet and public health. This reflects language in the Healthy Dog Importation Act (H.R. 3349/ S. 1725) by requiring electronic records documentation on dogs prior to their importation that confirms the dog is in good health; microchipped; has received all necessary vaccination and parasite treatments, demonstrated negative test results, and has a health certificate from an accredited veterinarian; and in the case of a dog intended for transfer, is at least 6 months old. Exceptions are provided for dogs that are personal pets of United States origin returning to the United States; United States military working dogs; for research purposes; and coming to the United States solely for veterinary treatment; among several others.
- Protecting Animals with Shelter – Reauthorizes funding for transitional shelters that allow victims of domestic violence to seek safety without leaving their pets behind.
- Support for Expanded Detection Dog Training – Authorizes the USDA National Detector Dog Training Center to establish additional training facilities to prepare specially selected dogs and their handlers to detect invasive pests and diseases that threaten American agriculture. These programs demonstrate the critical value of working dog programs and dogs in daily life for Americans.
Please urge Senators to avoid the addition of problematic potential amendments:
- Language in the Better CARE for Animals Act (HR 3112/S 1538) that would expand the power of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to enforce any violation of the AWA and circumvent the USDA’s authority and the expertise of its veterinarians and other animal experts to enforce animal care requirements. HR 3112/S 1538 would also empower the DOJ to file charges, including potentially criminal charges, seize animals and impose penalties regardless of whether USDA has determined or even alleged that there has been a violation of the AWA. USDA has the demonstrated authority and ability to work with the DOJ on rare cases involving criminal conduct. In fact, on March 8, 2024, the USDA and the DOJ Natural Resources Division (ENRD), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) [i] on Civil Judicial Enforcement of the AWA.
- One-Size-Fits All kennel requirement that undermine best care practices. Proposals from the Puppy Protection Act (S. 4437/H.R. 2254) included inflexible and arbitrary prohibitions on breeding a dog based solely on size and age; mandated full- time “unfettered access to exercise area large enough to allow extension of full stride”, arbitrary temperature requirements, and other requirements that become problematic without flexibility to allow for individual animals’ needs and requirements.
- Language from Goldie’s Act (HR 349) that redefines violations of the AWA to remove the distinction between minor non-compliances such as paperwork errors and serious animal care violations. The goal should be zero non-compliances, but AKC believes the health and wellbeing of animals should always remain the priority. Goldie’s Act also allows for immediate seizure or euthanasia without due process of any animal an inspector perceives to be suffering from “psychological harm” — a term it does not define.
- Provisions in the “Greyhound Protection Act” (H.R. 5017) that would restrict and potentially eliminate common dog training and event practices for certain field trials, performance events, lawful hunting with dogs, and other widely accepted training methods used by responsible dog owners and handlers’ flexibility to allow for individual animals’ needs and requirements.
- Provisions of the Fight Act (R. 3946/S. 1454) that will, for the first time, allow for a private right-of-action under the AWA, expand confiscation and forfeiture authority to include real property, and sets the precedent of including certain livestock (“roosters”) within the purview of the AWA. While AKC and all responsible groups abhor and oppose all animal fighting, negligence or cruelty, it is a well-documented goal of animal extremist organizations to establish a private right-of-action to allow them to sue under the AWA, providing a federal litigation hook for extremist groups to initiate lawsuits, generate discovery burdens, seek attorneys’ fees, pressure settlements, and expand activist enforcement outside DOJ/USDA control. If Congress establishes the precedent for a private enforcement model in one part of the AWA, animal radicals will no doubt seek to expand that model to breeders, exhibitors, kennels, livestock operations, research facilities, hunting-dog trainers, rodeos, fairs, zoos, other lawful animal uses, and eventually, to field trials, rodeos, hunting and wildlife management.
Questions? Contact AKC GR at doglaw@akc.org or 919-816-3720.
THANK YOU for your partnership and commitment to a better world for purpose-bred dogs and responsible dog ownership!
[i]Memorandum of Understanding; U.S. Department of Justice; Accesses 12/9/24; https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1341811/dl?inline