The Delaware House Appropriations Committee voted to approve a bill seeking to regulate barking dogs in the state. The bill now advances to the full House for consideration.
Delaware residents are encouraged to contact the members of the House of Representatives to express your concerns with House Bill 124 which seeks to regulating barking dogs. Scroll down for more information.
Summary:
As mentioned in a previous alert, House Bill 124 will prohibit dogs from barking continuously for more than 15 minutes, or more than 30 minutes total in a day. While we greatly appreciate the exemptions in the bill, especially those that could have impacted varies dog related activities, among others, the bill continues to ignore the fact that dogs bark for many reasons not covered by the bill, which has the potential of making any dog owner in the state of Delaware subject to a complaint even if their dog is only barking outside for a limited time (for example, a dog barking outside for 10 minutes, 3 times a day would be in violation).
Given the diversity of Delaware’s urban, suburban, and rural areas, this issue is best left up to individual jurisdictions to decide what, if any, law relative to barking dogs is needed for their community and how it should be enforced. We continue to express our believe that this bill seeks to make barking dogs, a nuisance issue, a state matter and does little to protect dogs.
What you can do:
Contact your Member of the House of Representatives by visiting the AKC Legislative Action Center at www.akcgr.org/officials and typing in your name and address to get the name and contact information for your state lawmakers.
Let them know that while you appreciate the exemptions in the bill, you are still opposed to the bill. Respectfully let them know that you agree no one should be subjected to extended periods of continuous barking; however, this legislation in its current form does not protect dogs nor their responsible owners, including those engaged in lawful activities nor individual situations.
AKC Government Relations continues to monitor legislation in Delaware impacting dog owners. For questions or more information, contact AKC GR at doglaw@akc.org.