Massachusetts House Bill 5092, a bill featuring many anti-responsible dog breeder and owner provisions, will be heard by the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government on Thursday, October 23rd, at 10:00 AM, in Room A-2 of the State House in Boston.  The AKC encourages all concerned dog breeders and owners in Massachusetts to attend […]

Massachusetts House Bill 5092 has been referred to the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government, and is tentatively scheduled for public hearing on Thursday, October 23rd, at 10 AM in Room A2 of the State House in Boston.  The bill includes many extreme provisions that, if enacted, will prove devastating to responsible dog breeders […]

The Puppy Uniform Protection Statute (PUPS) has been concurrently introduced in the US House of Representatives last week as H.R. 6949 and in the Senate as S.3519. The legislation will require that any breeder who sells more than 50 dogs per year direct to the public through internet sales or other outlets be inspected and […]

Yesterday, a vote by the Chicago City Council's Finance Committee, in consideration of a proposed mandatory spay/neuter ordinance, was put off by committee chairman Alderman Ed Burke.  After several hours of testimony, Alderman Burke delayed a vote to allow more testimony to be heard.  No new hearing date has been set. AKC's Government Relations Department […]

The Chicago City Council Committee on Finance will hold a joint hearing with the Committee on License and Consumer Protection on Tuesday July 29th to discuss a mandatory spay/neuter ordinance. It is vital that responsible dog owners and breeders attend the hearing to oppose this measure.   AKC Opposes Proposed Mandatory Spay and Neuter Ordinance […]

On Wednesday, the Dallas City Council voted 10-3 in favor of changing Dallas' animal ordinance.  Effective on Tuesday, July 1st, the ordinance requires the sterilization of all dogs, unless owners purchase an annual $70 breeder permit to keep each dog intact.  Additionally, the ordinance establishes a limit on the number of pets owned to six […]

The American Kennel Club Government Relations Department is pleased to report that California Assembly Bill 1634, which formerly attempted to impose the mandatory spay/neuter of all dogs six months of age or older with little exception, has been vastly amended.  Now entitled "Dog and cats: nonspayed or unneutered: civil penalties.", this is an entirely new […]

AKC's Government Relations Department is pleased to report that New York Assembly Bill 11509 will not be considered by the Assembly Agriculture Committee for the remainder of the 2008 legislative session. This was confirmed today by the office of Assemblyman William Magee, chairman of the Assembly Agriculture Committee. The Government Relations Department would like to […]

Minnesota House File 3245, sponsored by Representative Dennis Ozment, seeks to lift the state's current prohibition on breed-specific legislation. If passed and signed into law, the changes imposed by this bill would have a profound impact on all dog owners in Minnesota. It is imperative that all dog owners and breeders in Minnesota contact the […]

The American Kennel Club® is pleased to announce the promotion of Doug Ljungren to Assistant Vice President of Performance Events. Doug joined the AKC as Director of Performance Events in March 2007. He has been responsible for all facets of AKC Field Trials, Hunting Tests, Herding, Lure Coursing and Earthdog Events since taking over for […]