February 11, 2019 The Washington Senate Committee on Labor and Commerce and the Washington House Committee on Consumer Protection and Business will hold hearings on identical bills on Tuesday, Feb. 12. Senate Bill 5209 and House Bill 1640 will prohibit retail pet stores from selling dogs or cats, unless those animals were obtained from an […]

Assembly Bill 797, which seeks to allow private citizens to remove a companion animal from a vehicle if they believe that the animal is in imminent danger of suffering harm, is currently being considered by the California State Senate (second reading).    Summary: The AKC agrees that no person or animal should ever be left […]

The Massachusetts legislature’s Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government has scheduled consideration of 14 dog-related bills at its meeting on Tuesday, July 14th.  Another bill of importance, HB 344 (see info, below) will be heard concurrently by the Joint Judiciary Committee.  The American Kennel Club (AKC) and its Massachusetts federation, the Massachusetts Federation of […]

The Nebraska Legislature Judiciary Committee is scheduled to consider two bills next week that provide certain liability protections when there has been exposure to the COVID-19 virus. These bills may be of potential interest to some AKC-affiliated clubs with concerns about conducting their events while under a higher-than-normal exposure to liability risks. Bill Summaries: The […]

Tuesday, February 19, 2019  Several problematic Rhode Island bills will have a public hearing before the House Committee on Health, Education and Welfare on Wednesday, February 27th. HB 5265 would establish an Animal Rights Advisory Council made up of predominantly animal rights groups to issue annual recommendations to the legislature. AKC supports maintaining the legal […]

Today, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that it is dedicating $300 million in funding from the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act (i.e., federal law enacted to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, including the public health and economic impacts) to (1) conduct surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 (i.e., the virus that causes COVID-19) and other emerging […]

In June 2019, the Massachusetts General Court’s Joint Municipalities and Regional Government Committee accepted two hours of public testimony on multiple bills seeking to impose regulatory oversight over personal and commercial kennels, mandate annual inspections of all kennels, and create consumer protection laws that exempt animal shelters and rescue organizations from providing appropriate remedies.  AKC […]

According to a May 18, 2020, article, as Vermont begins to re-open from the COVID-19 pandemic, animal importers have asked Governor Phil Scott to authorize the resumption of interstate pet transports to supply Vermont shelters with dogs sourced from outside the state.  The article also details how some shelters are considering breeding dogs themselves to […]

  New York, NY – Highlights from the August 2006 meeting of the AKC Board of Directors as follows: The Board appointed members to all of the Trial Boards, effective September 1, 2006. The full list is included in the minutes for the August 2006 meeting. The Nominating Committee, which is to nominate candidates for […]

The AKC Canine Good Citizen® program rewards responsible dog ownership and is the national gold standard for recognizing good canine behavior and a dog owner’s commitment to basic training.  The 10-step CGC™ test not only encourages owners to begin a journey with their canine companions that epitomizes the human-animal bond, but is used as a […]