Albers Award Honors Extraordinary Community Service in Disaster Preparedness and Relief The American Kennel Club and AKC Companion Animal Recovery are pleased to announce that Deb Hoff and the Fargo-Moorhead Kennel Club have been named the first recipient of the Diane Albers Memorial Disaster Relief Award. Established in memory of former AKC Delegate Diane Albers, […]

Senate Bill 460, a bill which regulates breeders and infringes on the rights of responsible dog owners, is expected to be heard in the Senate Finance Committee as early as next week.  Many committee members have indicated that they have received few or no calls and letters in opposition to this bill.  It is essential […]

-- Legislative Successes Depend on Active Club Members and Breeders -- The AKC’s long-standing reputation and credibility as the authority for all matters relating to dogs are among the reasons why policymakers regularly seek our input when developing dog-related legislation. The AKC’s grassroots organization of nearly 5,000 local dog clubs, thousands of responsible dog owners […]

Oregon House Bill 2470 has passed the Legislature and is going to the Governor.  This bill limits dog ownership, imposes regulations on anyone owning 10 or more intact dogs, and includes offensive legislative findings.  It is imperative that all responsible dog breeders and fanciers in Oregon contact the Governor and ask him to veto House […]

California Senate Bill 250 has been amended to allow local governments to utilize existing procedures to issue intact dog licenses or to charge a fee to offset their costs. These amendments are an attempt to prevent the state from having to reimburse local governments for costs associated with enforcement of SB 250. The amendments also […]

New York Senate Bill 4961 seeks to classify more New Yorkers as "pet dealers" and to strictly regulate their operations.  The bill will be considered by the Senate Agriculture Committee tomorrow, Tuesday, June 2.  The American Kennel Club encourages all concerned responsible dog breeders and owners in the Empire State to contact the Senate Agriculture […]

The American Kennel Club has been closely monitoring two bills introduced in Tennessee regarding commercial breeding.  Due to recent actions by the Tennessee House of Representatives, the AKC has decided to take a neutral position on House Bill 386 in its current form. AKC remains strongly opposed, however, to Senate Bill 258. As amended by […]

Oregon House Bill 2470 will be considered by the Oregon Senate Consumer Protection and Public Affairs Committee on Tuesday, May 19.  The American Kennel Club opposes several aspects of HB 2470, including ownership limits, excessively burdensome operational requirements, and problematic legislative findings.  (For a full explanation, please see AKC's April 27th post below).  All concerned […]

-- Make Plans to Attend Meet the Breeds™ This October in New York City -- Building on the success of the annual Meet the Breeds event held at the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship each December, the American Kennel Club will be holding its first stand-alone Meet the Breeds™ October 17-18, 2009 at the Javits Center in […]

On Thursday, April 30, Connecticut Senate Bill 499, which seeks to impose several changes to Connecticut's consumer protection laws, passed the state's Senate with burdensome last-minute amendments. The bill is now in the House of Representatives. While the American Kennel Club (AKC) supports reasonable consumer protection laws that protect both puppy purchasers and responsible dog breeders, […]