Yesterday, the Philadelphia City Council approved a three-year moratorium on the breeding of dogs and the sale and transfer of puppies under seven months of age. See Previous alert.
You are strongly encouraged to act now and contact Mayor Cherelle L. Parker and mobilize others to protect responsible breeding and dog ownership in Philadelphia. Ask Mayor Parker to VETO Bill 250989 and state the following:
- Bill 250989 as written will not solve the city’s overcrowded sheltering systems as evidence by the failure to do so in other cities, such as Los Angles.
- The proposal raises many unanswered questions and there are many unintended consequences lurking in the proposal. For example, breeders can continue only if they obtain a state kennel license, and it is unclear how this would apply within current Philadelphia zoning laws.
- According to ACCT Philly, nearly 40% of animals surrendered in 2025 were given up because their owners were facing eviction, homelessness or couldn’t afford vet care, food or basic pet needs. A better approach is to establish a working group that includes all impacted parties from the Pennsylvania Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement, to shelters and recuses, responsible breeders, and the city to work on real solutions that addresses the shelter overcrowding issues without adversely impacting those who are not contributing to the problem.
- Let Mayor Parker know how a three-year moratorium would impact your breeding program.
Contact the Mayor:
You are strongly encouraged to contact the Mayor directly on her city issued email at Cherelle.Parker@Phila.gov , call the Mayor’s office at (215) 686-2181, or utilize the Mayor’s Correspondence Form on her office website and respectfully ask her to VETO bill 250989 for the reasons stated above.
For more information, contact AKC’s Government Relations Department at email doglaw@akc.org.
AKC GR along with the Pennsylvania Federation of Dog Clubs, will continue to monitor this and other legislation that impact the rights of dog owners and the dogs they love.