On Thursday, May 12th, the Senate Committee on Criminal Justice held a public hearing on House Bill 1451. A vote was not taken at that time. However, in a quick follow-up hearing with little public notice today at Senator Whitmire’s desk, a substitute measure was passed by a vote of 4-0. This measure is now […]

The Suffolk County, New York Legislature has scheduled a public hearing on August 2 for IR-1545, a measure that contains numerous inaccurate, misleading, and unsubstantiated claims that impugn the integrity of the American Kennel Club and the many responsible local AKC dog owners and breeders who devote their lives to the wellbeing of dogs. The […]

New Hampshire Senate Bill 370, which seeks to impose ownership limits and other restrictions on responsible dog breeders and owners, has been introduced and will be considered by the Senate Executive Departments and Administration Committee on Thursday, January 19, 2012.  The American Kennel Club and our New Hampshire federation, the Dog Owners of the Granite […]

The West Virginia Senate has passed Senate Bill 406, which would impose onerous restrictions on those who own 11 or more intact dogs. While some exemptions are included, the AKC believes they are vague and may still impact hobbyists who are not truly commercial breeders. The bill has now been assigned to the House Judiciary […]

Two bills are pending in the Iowa Senate that would impose detrimental requirements on those who are classified as "commercial breeders". In current law, a "commercial breeder" is defined as anyone who owns at least four intact dogs or cats and receives any consideration for breeding. These bills would significantly restrict the ability of those […]

Two positive measures –one protecting proper legal status of animals and one promoting responsible dog breeding –have passed Missouri committees and are awaiting action by the Missouri House of Representatives. House Bill 1513 would prohibit state laws from conferring "upon any animal a right, privilege or legal status that is equivalent or that exceeds a […]

Oklahoma House Bill 2921 seeks to create the Commercial Pet Breeders Act of 2012 and make significant changes to the state's oversight of dog breeders. The bill was recently passed unanimously by the House Agriculture Committee, and awaits further direction. The American Kennel Club and our Oklahoma federation, the Oklahoma Animal Interest Alliance, both support […]

Senate Bill 2494 is scheduled to be heard by the Hawaii Senate Committee on Judiciary and Labor on Wednesday, February 29, 2012. This bill would require owners of ten or more intact dogs to pay a $500 biennial license fee, allow unannounced inspections of their private homes, limit their ability to make decisions about breeding […]

Iowa Senate committees have approved two measures that would make detrimental changes to the laws regulating commercial breeders, defined in current law as anyone who owns at least four intact dogs or cats and receives any consideration for breeding. While the bills are virtually identical to the ones that were scheduled for consideration last week, […]

House Bill 108 H.D. 1 S.D 2, a very problematic dog breeder bill, is scheduled for a third vote in the Hawaii Senate on April 12. It is important that dog owners immediately contact their state Senators and politely ask them to vote “No” on this burdensome and ineffective legislation. HB108 would establish requirements that […]