Please be advised that Minnesota HF 1046, the Dog and Cat Breeders Act, has been pulled from today's agenda for the House Public Safety and Criminal Justice Committee. The bill was to be considered at 6:30PM today. The Canine Legislation Department will continue to monitor legislative activities in Minnesota, and will advise as developments warrant. […]

California Assembly Bill 1634, known as the California Healthy Pets Act, was assigned to the Assembly Business and Professions Committee on Monday, March 26. It seeks to require the mandatory spaying or neutering of all dogs or cats over four months of age, unless the owner acquires an intact animal permit. It is imperative that […]

City of San Jose The City of San Jose will hold a public meeting May 1st to discuss a host of changes to their animal control ordinance. The most important change for breeders, fanciers and concerned dog owners to be aware of is that under this new ordinance anyone who breeds an individual dog more […]

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 […]

Assembly Bill 1634, the California bill that will require any dog or cat over the age of four months to be spayed or neutered will be revised with even more burdensome requirements. The bill still does not make any provision for animals in the state only for a short time or those who are competing […]

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 and its Texas federation of dog owners, the Responsible Pet Owners Alliance, are deeply concerned about the proposed changes to the City of San Antonio's animal ordinance. These changes, as will be proposed by the city's Animal Care Services Advisory Board, unfairly target responsible dog breeders and owners, have no chance […]

Tomorrow, August 14th, the Los Angeles City Council will hear a report from Ed Boks, the General Manager of Animal Services, regarding a proposal to require the mandatory spaying/neutering of all cats and dogs over four months of age. The proposal will likely mirror the failed Assembly Bill 1634. The council will then vote to […]

The Miami-Dade County Commission will be holding a public hearing at 9:30am on Tuesday, December 18th to discuss a variety of changes to the animal control ordinance including limiting the number of pets a resident may own, implementing hobby breeder licensing, requiring mandatory microchipping for dog breeders and restricting rescue organizations. Concerned dog owners and […]

The San Antonio City Council will decide on proposed major revisions to its animal ordinance at the Thursday, December 13th, “A Session” meeting.  Public comment will be accepted at this hearing prior to the council’s vote.  It is imperative that all concerned San Antonio-area breeders and owners strongly voice their opposition to this proposal. The […]

The American Kennel Club (AKC) and our Texas federation of owners, the Responsible Pet Owners Alliance (RPOA), remain deeply concerned with the proposed changes to San Antonio's animal ordinance. The proposed ordinance is unreasonable, unenforceable, and unfairly penalizes responsible dog breeders and owners. For example, if adopted, the new law will impose many burdensome restrictions, […]

Two new bills have been introduced in Wisconsin, both of which seek to regulate those classified as commercial breeders and provide remedies for purchasers of dogs. Assembly Bill 567, sponsored by Representative Lothian, has been assigned to the Assembly Committee on Consumer Protection and Personal Privacy; its companion, Senate Bill 308, is sponsored by Senator […]

Assemblyman Neil Cohen and Assemblywoman Joan Voss have introduced Assembly Bill 1591, a bill which threatens the rights of responsible breeders in New Jersey.  This bill is a reintroduction of 2006’s AB 3401.  Fanciers, concerned dog owners, and responsible breeders should immediately contact their representatives in the New Jersey State Legislature, and the members of […]

House Bill 2516, which seeks to prohibit persons from owning or keeping a dog or cat that is more than six months old if the animal has not been spayed or neutered, unless the person has acquired an intact permit for the animal, has been introduced. If adopted, this unreasonable and unenforceable bill will have […]

Today, Subcommittee #1 of the Virginia House Agriculture, Chesapeake, and Natural Resources Committee considered and tabled HB 1570, which would have mandated the spaying or neutering of certain companion animals. This effectively kills this legislation for the 2008 legislative session. The American Kennel Club and its Virginia federation, the Virginia Federation of Dog Clubs and […]

Virginia House Bill 1570, which sees to mandate the spaying or neutering of companion animals, will be heard by Subcommittee #1 of the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake, and Natural Resources, at 7:30AM, Tuesday, January 29th, 2008, on the 4th Floor West Conference Room in the General Assembly Building in Richmond. The American Kennel Club, […]

Virginia House Bill 538 will be heard by the full House Agriculture Committee on Wednesday, January 30, 2008, at 8:30AM in House Room C of the General Assembly Building. The bill, which is sponsored by Delegate Orrock, a member of the committee, seeks to:   Define commercial breeders as persons who maintain 20 or more […]

Virginia House Bill 1570, which seeks to mandate the spaying or neutering of companion animals, has been assigned to the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake, and Natural Resources. Though the bill is currently not scheduled for consideration, it remains imperative that breeders and concerned dog owners in Virginia contact their Delegate and ask them to […]

Senator Van Drew has introduced Senate Bill 971, a bill which threatens the rights of responsible dog owners in New Jersey. This bill is a reintroduction of 2006's AB 3542. Fanciers, concerned dog owners, and responsible breeders should immediately contact their representatives in the New Jersey State Legislature, and the members of the Senate Economic […]

Palm Beach County Adopts Mandatory Spay/Neuter and Hobby Breeder Restrictions [February 6, 2008] Yesterday afternoon the Palm Beach County Commission voted 5-1 to restrict the rights of responsible dog owners and breeders. Commissioner Kanjian was the only member who voted to support the responsible dog owners and breeders of Palm Beach County. AKC thanks all […]

On Friday February 8th, the Los Angeles City Council is expected to take a final vote on a proposed mandatory spay/neuter ordinance. Last week, the City Council voted 10-1 in favor of the ordinance, with only Councilmember Bill Rosendahl standing up for responsible owners and breeders. At the previous meeting, concerned dog owners were outnumbered […]

On Wednesday, February 13 Virginia House Bill 538 was assigned to the Senate Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Committee. It is expected to have a hearing on Monday, February 18. The bill seeks to: Define commercial breeders as persons who maintain 30 or more unsterilized adult females for commercial breeding; Limit commercial breeders to maintaining […]

On Tuesday, February 12 Virginia House Bill 538 passed the House of Delegates and was sent to the Senate. The bill seeks to:   Define commercial breeders as persons who maintain 30 or more unsterilized adult females for commercial breeding; Limit commercial breeders to maintaining no more than 50 adult dogs at one time; Restrict […]

Arizona House Bill 2516 has been assigned to three legislative committees: the House Committee on Counties, Municipalities, and Military Affairs; the House Committee on Government; and the House Committee on Rules. The bill, which seeks to prohibit persons from owning or keeping a dog or cat that is more than six months old if the […]

The Dallas, Texas City Council Committee on Quality of Life will consider major changes to the Dallas animal control ordinance on Monday, April 28 at noon at the Dallas City Hall. The changes include mandatory spay/neuter, breeder permitting, limits on the number of pets that can be owned, stricter dangerous dog language, and a ban […]

The Dallas, Texas City Council will soon consider major changes to the Dallas animal control ordinance. The changes include breeder permitting, limits on the number of pets that can be owned, stricter dangerous dog language, and a ban on tethering. Mandatory Spay/Neuter   This proposed ordinance mandates that you spay or neuter your dog unless […]

The Senate Agriculture and Veterans committee has removed SB 2292 from its February 26 agenda. The bill may be still heard at a later date. Please contact the members of the committee to share your concerns about this bill. Continue to check www.akc.org for updates. Minnesota Breeders Bills Moving Forward [Wednesday, February 20, 2008] Minnesota […]

May 8 UPDATE: Tuesday, May 6 the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors decided to table the mandatory spay/neuter proposals and instead form a task force to examine the issue of shelter population.  Thank you every one who attended the meeting and a special thank you to those who spoke in opposition to the mandatory […]

Two Chicago Aldermen are sponsoring a new ordinance that would require all dogs to be spayed/neutered by the age of six months unless they qualify for an unneutered animal license. Chicago residents are asked to contact their representative on the Board of Aldermen to oppose this measure. To qualify for an unneutered animal license the […]

It has been reported to the American Kennel Club that the Quality of Life Committee has directed the Director of Animal Control to examine the feasibility of enforcing the proposed ordinance. The Director of Animal Control is expected to present his findings at a meeting of the Quality of Life Committee in June. Thank you […]