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Dear AKC Delegates, Club Officers, Breeders and Judges, please pass this
information along to your club members and contacts in Massachusetts.
https://www.akc.org/legislative-alerts/troublesome-massachusetts-bills-scheduled-june-4th-hearing-action-needed/
Thursday, May 30, 2019
Multiple bills seeking to impose regulatory oversight over personal and
commercial kennels, mandate annual inspections of all kennels, and create
consumer protections laws is scheduled for consideration by the Joint
Municipalities and Regional Government Committee on Tuesday, June 4th. These
bills would onerously impact all responsible dog breeders in Massachusetts,
including owners of personal kennels. Both the American Kennel Club (AKC) and
the Massachusetts Federation of Dog Clubs and Responsible Dog Owners (MassFed)
oppose H.1774, S. 114, H. 1757, H.1758, H. 1823 and S. 1204 as written.
TAKE ACTION NOW! Concerned breeders and owners in Massachusetts, including
AKC-affiliated dog club representatives should attend the June 4th hearing, and
MUST contact the members of the Joint Municipalities and Regional Government
Committee prior to the hearing expressing concerns.
H.1774 and S.114 are the most current versions of bills that have been
considered in prior sessions and feature many troublesome provisions that were
originally proposed years ago, which include:
• Requiring the Department of Agricultural Resources to create
extensive commercial-type rules and regulations for both commercial breeder
kennels and personal kennels where intact female dogs or cats are kept to be
bred and sell their offspring as household pets.
• Requiring in S.114 that the rules to be largely based on the American
Veterinary Medical Association model commercial breeder regulations (which are
designed for high-volume dog retailers), to specifically include legislative
mandates for solid flooring in primary enclosures and prohibit any stacking of
cages.
• Expressly authorizing in H. 1774 that the city or town that issues
any kennel license to decide and specify the maximum number of dogs that may be
maintained by a licensee.
Additional potentially problematic bills being considered that have been
carried over from prior sessions include:
House Bill 1757 seeks to carve out specific requirements for commercial breeder
kennels by the Commissioner of Agricultural Resources (in addition to current
municipal oversight). H.1757 also empowers the Commissioner to create
standards of care for commercial breeder kennels, to include appropriate living
space, shelter, nutrition, and sanitary conditions.
H. 1758 increases fines for cruelty to animals, with the monies collected going
into a special municipal account where the violation occurred, dedicated to
funding animal shelter improvements or to be used at the municipality's
discretion providing it benefits local groups dedicated to the humane treatment
of animals and/or the promotion of the adoption of shelter animals.
Other bills scheduled to be considered include H. 1823 and S. 1204, which seek
to impose consumer warranty provisions on pet shops and breeders that are
intended to protect the pet-buying public. The AKC believes that breeders and
sellers should be responsible for providing certain refunds, replacements, or
reimbursements should the dog sold become ill or die from a condition
contracted prior to the purchase. However, remedies should be conditioned upon
the buyer's adherence to the care and feeding program prescribed by the breeder
and/or seller, as well as a timely examination by a state licensed veterinarian.
WHAT YOU SHOULD DO:
All concerned breeders and owners in Massachusetts, as well as AKC-affiliated
dog club representatives, are strongly encouraged to attend the June 4th
hearing of the Joint Municipalities and Regional Government Committee. They
should also contact the committee chairmen prior to the hearing, and
respectfully express opposition to H.1774 and S.114. Use the talking points
above.
Hearing information: The Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional
Government is expected to meet on Tuesday, June 4th, at 11AM, in Room A-1 at
the State House in Boston, 24 Beacon St, Boston, MA 02133.
Joint Municipalities and Regional Government Committee
Senate Chair Rebecca Rausch - Becca.Rausch@xxxxxxxxxxxx or (617) 722-1555.
House Chair James O'Day - James.O'Day@xxxxxxxxxxx or (617) 722- 2090.
AKC Government Relations will continue to provide updates on these bills, as
well as other pending Massachusetts legislation. For more information, contact
AKC GR at doglaw@xxxxxxx, or MassFed at www.massfeddogs.org.
Stormy Hope
LLARTC
NAIATrust, Trustee
NAIATrust-CA on Facebook!
GSDCA Legislative Liaison to AKC
California Responsible Pet
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