[ SHOWGSD-L ] Fwd: URGENT: Action Needed on Texas Breeder Bills!
- From: Bokenkampgsd1@xxxxxxx
- To: showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 12 Apr 2011 10:51:53 EDT
Please contact your reps and oppose these bills....\
Molly
Trillia German Shepherds since 1972
Member GSDCA, GSDCC, GSDC of Beaumont, lifetime member CKC
"Blessed are the cracked, for they let in the light"
____________________________________
From: mba@xxxxxxx
To: bokenkampgsd1@xxxxxxx
Sent: 4/12/2011 8:28:33 A.M. Central Daylight Time
Subj: URGENT: Action Needed on Texas Breeder Bills!
(http://www.akc.org/canine_legislation/index.cfm)
Dear AKC Delegates, Judges, Club Officers and Breeders,
Please forward this information to your club members in Texas as soon as
possible.
Two House bills that place unreasonable burdens on responsible Texas dog
owners and breeders but do not improve animal welfare made significant
progress in the Texas House last week.
_House Bill 1451_
(http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/82R/billtext/pdf/HB01451I.pdf) , which
would regulate and define as a commercial breeder those
who own 11 or more intact female dogs or cats, has been approved by House
Committee on Licensing and Administrative Procedures and has been placed on
the Local, Consent and Resolutions Calendar for Thursday, April 14th.
This calendar is for noncontroversial, unopposed bills. It is not reasonable
that HB 1451, which had significant opposition in committee, be considered
on this calendar. It is crucial that responsible breeders and owners call
their Representatives and ask to have this pulled off the calendar for a full
vote of the House.
A procedural move to suspend House rules last week to enabled the House
County Affairs Committee to hear _House Bill 2116_
(http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/82R/billtext/pdf/HB02116I.pdf#navpanes=0)
, another bill
regulating owners and breeders, without notice of a public hearing. Although
HB
2116 was left pending in committee, we expect the author to introduce a
substitute bill shortly and ask for an immediate vote on this legislation.
Responsible breeders and owners are urged to immediately call or email
their representative in the Texas House and ask him or her to oppose HB 1451
and HB 2116.
_Click here and type in your address to find the name and contact
information for your State Representative._
(http://www.house.state.tx.us/resources/frequently-asked-questions/#who_rep)
The American Kennel Club strongly supports humane treatment of dogs,
including an adequate and nutritious diet, clean water, clean living
conditions,
regular veterinary care, kind and responsive human companionship, and
training in appropriate behavior. The AKC also supports reasonable and
enforceable laws that protect the welfare and health of purebred dogs and do
not
restrict the rights of breeders and owners who take their responsibilities
seriously.
_To read the AKCâ??s letter on House Bill 1451 please click here._
(http://www.akc.org/pdfs/canine_legislation/HB1451_041111.pdf)
_To read the AKCâ??s letter on House Bill 2116 please click here._
(http://www.akc.org/pdfs/canine_legislation/HB2116_041111.pdf)
Provisions of House Bill 1451
* Defines a breeder as anyone who possesses 11 or more intact
females.Simply owning a certain number of intact dogs does not indicate a
large-scale breeding operation. This definition may encompass many small hobby
breeders or sportsmen who produce only one or two litters a year.
* Mandates an unannounced inspection by the Texas Department of
Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), or their designee every 18 months. Due to
the
low thresholds in the bill, many of the breeders who will be licensed are
not commercial operations and do not have regular business hours. Often,
these people utilize their homes to breed their dogs. The AKC believes that
to ensure that privacy and due process rights are protected, inspections,
especially of private residences, should be performed pursuant to a warrant.
Further, as these inspections are unannounced, it is unclear what would
happen if a breeder is not at home when an inspector has gone to the expense
of traveling to visit them.
* Allows TDLR to charge an unspecified fee for licensure and
inspection. The measure says fees should cover the cost of establishing and
implementing an inspections program. HB 1451 further allows a tiered licensing
schedule based on the number of dogs owned, but the cost may be excessive
for someone who breeds only a litter or two a year. The fiscal note
anticipates that this program will cost over $1.3 million to implement, with
the
full cost borne by the breeders. If the boardâ??s estimate of one thousand
breeders is close to accurate (and we believe this number to be high), then
individual licenses are likely to cost thousands of dollars annually.
* Requires an annual veterinary examination.This is burdensome for
breeders in rural areas who have to transport their animals to a
veterinarian. It also forces the breeder to spend money on healthy animals
when the
funds would better be used to care for animals with health concerns and to
maintain and improve facilities. Parents are not required to have their
children seen by a physician annually, nor are farmers and ranchers whose
animals enter our food supply required to have annual veterinary examinations
of
each animal. This provision is costly and strips owners of their right to
decide what care is best for their animals.
* Establishes a public database of licensees and disciplinary
actions. The thresholds in this bill are so low as to include many who breed
dogs
in their homes. It is unreasonable for a small breeder to be required to
post their name, address and other personal information on a public
registry.
Provisions of House Bill 2116
* Prohibits any dog from being left outside and unattended in an
enclosure unless at least 150 square feet of space is provided for each dog.
This may mean some owners are unable to use existing dog runs or even yards
if they do not contain enough square footage. This threshold is arbitrary,
not based on any accepted animal husbandry principles and does not take
into account a dogâ??s breed or activity level.
* Defines a breeder as anyone who possesses 11 or more intact
females. Simply owning a certain number of intact dogs does not indicate a
large-scale breeding operation. This definition may encompass many small hobby
breeders or sportsmen who produce only one or two litters a year.
* Directs the Health & Humane Services Commission to promulgate
additional regulations for commercial breeders. AKC believes that
irresponsible
breeders and owners can be successfully addressed using the stateâ??s
existing animal cruelty laws. Any additional regulations should be written by
officials with extensive animal husbandry knowledge working in consultation
with responsible breeders.
If you would rather not receive future communications from The American
Kennel Club, let us know by clicking _here._
(http://app3.vocusgr.com/OptOut.aspx?200x335x15689x3x6913309x24000x6&Email=bokenkampgsd1@xxxxxxx)
The American Kennel Club, 8051 Arco Corporate Dr. Suite 100, Raleigh, NC
27617 United States
============================================================================
POST is Copyrighted 2011. 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 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.
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/
============================================================================
Other related posts:
- » [ SHOWGSD-L ] Fwd: URGENT: Action Needed on Texas Breeder Bills! - Bokenkampgsd1