The Santa Fe County Commission will hold a second public hearing on a proposal that would impact county dog owners and fanciers.  The proposal is over 30 pages of updates to the county’s animal control laws and include many concerning provisions, including impounding and sterilizing any dog not in a fenced yard – even if […]

The Michigan House Local Government Committee will be considering a bill on Wednesday, September 7, that will prohibit municipalities from enacting breed-specific laws.  Localities may still enact laws regulating dogs, so long as they do not single out specific breeds. The AKC supports Senate Bill 239, which protects the rights of dog owners while still […]

Yesterday, AKC GR reported that Massachusetts Senate Bill 2370 was passed by the Senate with amendments.  Since then, we have learned that the bill has been given a new bill number and descriptive title, and assigned to the House Ways and Means Committee.  Now numbered as Senate Bill 2390, the bill is described as, “An […]

A proposal is scheduled for a vote on July 5 by the Baltimore County Council that would prohibit dogs being used for hunting or training on county-owned property.  Current law states that any dog being used for hunting or trained for hunting is exempt from the county’s at-large dog laws.  The AKC opposes the portion […]

New Jersey Senate Bill 63 has been placed on the agenda for a vote tomorrow, Thursday, June 30, in the New Jersey State Senate. It is imperative that all New Jersey fanciers, enthusiasts, breeders, and owners contact their state senator and Senate President Steve Sweeney and request SB 63 not be voted on Thursday; and […]

A significantly amended New Jersey Senate Bill 63 was approved late last week by the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.  The bill could now be considered for a vote by the full Senate this Thursday, June 30.  Although some important and necessary changes have been made, the AKC remains deeply concerned with SB 63.  It […]

Yesterday, the Massachusetts Senate’s Ways and Means Committee passed an amended version of Senate Bill 2370, the “Act Relative to Protecting Puppies and Kittens” (previously Senate Bill 1103).  The bill could be voted on by the full Senate as soon as Tuesday, June 28.  The new version of this bill makes several changes – including […]

The California Senate Public Safety Committee will hear Assembly Bill 797 which will allow private citizens to remove a companion animal from a vehicle if they believe that the animal is in imminent danger of suffering harm. Dog owners who reside or participate in events in California are encouraged to contact the Public Safety Committee or […]

A number of bills have been introduced in North Carolina over the past year to allow certain municipalities to donate a working dog to its handler when the animal is retired from service.  Yesterday, a bill was amended in the Senate that would clarify that these procedures for the donation of retired service dogs apply […]

Yesterday, the New York Senate Agriculture Committee approved a bill that would help lost dogs in the state be reunited more quickly with their owners.  Under Senate Bill 1812, a lost dog must be checked for all forms of identification, including tags, microchips, tattoos or licenses within 24 hours after intake, or as soon as […]