-----Original Message----- Here's a better link. http://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/bin/bldbill.php?bill=S0121.0.html&session =ls85leg.state.mn.us/bin/bldbill.php?bill=S0121.0.html&session=ls85 It applies to dogs and cats, defines a breeder as a person, other than a hobby breeder, who possesses animals and is engaged in the business of breeding animals for direct or indirect sale or for exchange in return for consideration, and who possesses six or more adult intact breeding female animals. It defines a hobby breeder as a person who possesses animals and is engaged in the business of breeding animals for direct sale or for exchange in return for consideration, and who possesses FEWER than six adult intact breeding female animals. Lest you get comfortable because you have fewer than 6 breeding bitches, numbers, once in an ordinance or law are much easier to change (as in LOWER)than the ordinance is to enact in the first place. It STARTS at 6, and will soon be 4, 2, then... Other things that lots of folks don't even think about females in estrus may not be housed with males except for breeding purposes; (It doesn't say INTACT males) so if you have 6 girls (this would include your 6 mo old hopefuls) and one neutered 12 year old boy, you can't let him and any of the girls in season hang together. Only healthy, mature animals of normal weight that have been examined within the previous four months by a veterinarian may be used for breeding. Animals from the same litter may not be bred with each other; May sound like common sense, but if you breed your bitch who was last at the vet 6 months ago to your male who was last there 5 months ago, YOU ARE A LAWBREAKER. How many of you take your dogs to the vet every four months? And, while it's very uncommon to have littermates who are so good and whose pedigree is so good that you'd want to breed them, how dare some group of folks (probably on the advice of ARs) who probably barely remembers the brown eyes blue eyes thing from middle school biology make it illegal! Females must be rested for one or more cycles between breedings. Know what? Some of the most respected canine reproduction specialists are saying it's actually better to breed them back to back unless they had a very difficult pregnancy. And, this goes COMPLETELY against all veterinary and expert recommendations for cats. puppies and kittens may not be housed in the same primary enclosure with adult dogs or cats, other than their mothers or another compatible lactating female So you can't let your new big dog puppy run with your very tolerant adult medium sized dogs. (earlier puppy is defined as a dog less than 20 weeks old) Debarking. No person may alter a dog's ability to bark Like it or not, like cropping and docking, it should be the owner's CHOICE not the law! And how are they going to know whether the dog was done (out of state) before you got it? And they're even telling you (if you own 6 intact girls) how you must identify your dogs Subd. 19. Identification. Dogs 16 weeks of age and older must have an identification tag with a unique tracking number attached to a properly fitting collar. The collar must be checked weekly for proper fit and adjusted if necessary. The identification tag is not transferable. The collar may not be made of chain, wire, elastic, plastic, or cording. I lost a beautiful Smooth Collie puppy when she was strangled to death when her brother got his jaw cauht on her collar. I do NOT leave collars on my dogs. Handling. Animals must be handled as carefully as possible in a manner that does not cause trauma, behavioral stress, physical harm, or discomfort to the animal. Physical abuse or deprivation of food or water may not be used to handle or train animals. Now this is VAGUE enough that it could be used against all sorts of perfectly humane trainers by some AR who "happened by" just to "watch". There is so much in this that is unenforceable, difficult to define, clearly NOT in harmony with both species (Dogs and cats are NOT the same in oh so many ways.), and just opens the door for stricter and stricter interpretations or revisions. It should be opposed! ================== Ginger Cleary - Rome, GA www.rihadin.com "Laws against something 'that other guy' does will eventually get US because we are all someone's 'other guy.' " Walt Hutchens, 2007 ============================================================================ POST is Copyrighted 2006. All material remains the property of the original author and of GSD Communication, Inc. 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