Please share this alert with Legislative Liaisons, Club Members, and
Responsible Dog Owners in Connecticut.
https://www.akc.org/legislative-alerts/ct-alert-hearing-march-7th-concerning-kennel-dog-licenses/
Thursday, March 3, 2022
The Connecticut Joint Environment Committee has raised SB 234, and scheduled a
Monday, March 7, 2022, public hearing on the bill. In addition to a handful of
provisions under the oversight of the Department of Agriculture, the bill
includes significant changes to current kennel and dog license rules. These
proposed changes to the current law in SB 234 would:
• Section 2 – Kennel Licenses
• Authorize municipal animal control officers (ACOs) to
inspect, at any time, any “facility” used as a breeding kennel, without
defining “facility”.
• Mandate compliance with an ACO’s recommendations if the ACO
finds conditions exist that may adversely affect the health and welfare of the
dogs, or risk loss of license.
• Sections 5, 9 and 13– Dog Licenses
• Require that owners of dogs over 6 months obtain a dog
license from the Department of Agriculture, instead of their town clerk. The
goal is to modernize the process by allowing electronic submission of current
rabies vaccination records and payment of fees in exchange for the Department
mailing out a valid dog license.
• Increase the dog license surcharge fee (deposited into the
animal population control fund) from six to eight dollars for unspayed or
unneutered dogs.
AKC appreciates that the intent of SB 234 is to clarify and modernize the
kennel and dog licensing laws. However, the above proposed changes, as drafted,
create concerns.
Section 2 – Kennel Licenses: First, SB 234 attempts to distinguish kennels
from facilities that breed more than two litters of dogs a year, without
updating current legal definitions. Second, broadening the inspection authority
of municipal ACOs without a definition of “facility” could result in an
inappropriate search of the home of one who breeds personally owned dogs for
the purpose of improving, exhibiting, or showing the breed, or for use in legal
sporting activity or for other personal reasons. SB 234 authorizes the ACO to
require compliance with correcting “conditions” they believe may adversely
affect the health and welfare of your dogs. It is unclear whether an ACO’s
evaluation of “conditions” would include whether or not a dog could be bred.
Further, there is no process for resolving disagreements with an ACO who
believes conditions may adversely affect the health or welfare of one’s dogs.
Sections 5,9 and 13 – Dog Licenses: Creating a dog license “electronic state
database” would result in a list of owners with unspayed and unneutered dogs.
Such a list, if obtained by animal rights activists, may result in harassment
of responsible dog breeders. Under freedom of information act laws, the public
can request information maintained by state agencies unless expressly exempted
and afforded confidentiality protections. No protections are included in SB
234. Lastly, Connecticut does not have a dog overpopulation problem. Current
law imposes higher dog license fees for unspayed and unneutered dogs and is
contrary to SB 234’s goal of streamlining the dog licensing process.
Eliminating this disparity would be greatly appreciated.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
• Anyone wishing to speak regarding SB 234 at the Environment
Committee’s public Zoom hearing, which is scheduled to start at 10AM on Monday,
March 7, 2022, must complete this form before Sunday, March 6, at 3PM.
• Interested residents are encouraged to email written testimony in MS
Word or PDF format to the Committee members directly at
ENVtestimony@xxxxxxxxxx. Please include the bill number, SB 234, in the
subject line and include your concerns and name in the body of your email.
AKC GOVERNMENT RELATIONS ADVOCACY RESOURCES
Recent Legislative & Informational Alerts
Recent Blogs & Articles
State & Federal Legislation Tracking Map
Key Issues
Toolbox (with downloadable materials)
AKC Government Relations (AKC GR) will provide additional information as
developments warrant. For more information, contact AKC GR at doglaw@xxxxxxx.
CT Alert: Hearing March 7th Concerning Kennel and Dog Licenses
Stormy Hope
NAIATrust, Trustee
NAIATrust-CA on Facebook!
GSDCA Legislative Liaison to AKC
California Responsible Pet Owners
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