April 13, 2022
On April 26, the California Assembly Business and Professions Committee is
scheduled to consider Assembly Bill 1881, known as the “Dog and Cat Bill of
Rights”.
California residents are strongly encouraged to upload letters to the online
committee portal by April 19 to ensure they are included in the official
committee analysis.
Also, if you have not done so, please also upload a letter to the author’s
office.
Use the links provided here and follow the login instructions to create an
account (if you have not done so previously) and submit your comments to
Assemblyman Miguel Santiago (author of AB 1881) and the Assembly Business and
Professions Committee. Use both links to make sure you reach both the author
and committee, and be sure to include that you Oppose AB 1881 in the subject
line.
Talking Points to Consider:
California residents are encouraged to read AKC’s previous alert for more
information on the many problems with AB 1881 as introduced. Also, this week,
AKC was joined by the California Veterinary Medical Association and the Animal
Health Institute in submitting a joint letter to the author and
committeeexpressing our many concerns with AB 1881.
Consider the talking points included in the letter and these additional points
below when contacting the author and committee:
1) We agree that all dog owners have a responsibility to care for their animals
and ensure their health and safety.
2) Referencing “rights” will do nothing to promote responsible dog ownership or
the health or wellness of dogs. It could, however, open the door for
undermining the current legal status of animals, which provides for both rights
and responsibilities of dog owners in providing proper care for their animals.
3) If the goal is to provide guidelines to new pet owners, they should be just
that – a list of guidelines and responsibilities, not “rights” afforded to
pets. In addition, the bill should be clear that the guidelines should not be
enforced as law.
4) Using vague terms such as protecting a dog from anxiety and preserving
mental well-being could imply that actions in the dog’s best interest – such as
going to a veterinarian – should be avoided if they cause stress to the animal.
Respectfully ask that such terms be removed.
5) Implying that all dogs and cats should be spayed or neutered ignores the
many reasons a person may humanely and responsibly choose to keep an animal
intact – including participation in AKC events, responsible breeding, and
consideration for the health of the animal. This is a decision that should be
made by responsible owners in conjunction with their veterinarian.
6) Referencing “rights” conflates actions of humans (taking a dog to the
veterinarian, having the dog sterilized) with actions of animals (animals
taking these actions themselves).
7) California code, as well as local governments throughout the state, already
have numerous laws governing the ownership and care of animals. The focus
should be on education and enforcement, rather than implying a complete change
in the way animals are cared for and protected in the state.
AKC Government Relations continues to work with the committee on several bills
impacting California dog owners and will provide updates as they are available.
For questions or more information, contact AKC GR at doglaw@xxxxxxx.
Stormy Hope
NAIATrust, Trustee
NAIATrust-CA on Facebook!
GSDCA Legislative Liaison to AKC
California Responsible Pet Owners
============================================================================
POST is Copyrighted 2015. All material remains the property of the original
author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any kind
are permitted without prior permission of both the original author AND of the
Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Each Author is responsible for the content of his/her post. This group and its
administrators are not responsible for the comments or opinions expressed in
any post. POSTS CANNOT BE USED IN A COURT OF LAW.
ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY
MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS
PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY
FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE
PROSECUTED.
For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxx
VISIT OUR WEBSITE - http://showgsd.org SUBSCRIPTION: ;
http://showgsd.org/mail.html
NATIONAL BLOG - http://gsdnational.blogspot.com/
============================================================================
