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Legislative Successes Depend on Active Club Members and Breeders --
The AKC’s
long-standing reputation and credibility as the authority for all
matters relating to dogs are among the reasons why policymakers
regularly seek our input when developing dog-related legislation.
The AKC’s grassroots organization of nearly 5,000 local dog clubs,
thousands of responsible dog owners and breeders, and the number of
dogs and litters registered each year means that AKC support or
opposition can help make or break the success of legislation.
Whenever state residents are threatened with unreasonable laws
impacting responsible breeders and owners – and this year has seen
more than 800 such bills across the country – the AKC Government
Relations department works closely with AKC state federations, local
clubs and breeders groups to address the problematic language. We
provide these groups with significant resources, assistance,
information and direct communications with lawmakers. This model
works because, unlike for-profit competitors, the AKC puts its
resources back into benefitting the dogs it registers and this
includes legislation.
Policy officials throughout the nation recognize the AKC and its
state federations as supporting reasonable laws that protect the
rights of dog owners and breeders while ensuring integrity of the
purebred dog and the welfare of all dogs. The AKC’s position
statements are accessible and well-publicized. Legislators also know
that the AKC is self-regulating: the AKC inspects its own breeders;
has zero tolerance for neglect and abuse; and recognizes the
obligations of dog owners to abide by clean-up ordinances, leash
laws, nuisance laws and other reasonable regulations.
AKC staff continues to develop successful legislative strategies
based on mutually respectful interaction with policymakers. In
Nebraska a bill that would have heavily regulated breeders and
capped dog ownership at 75 dogs was recently postponed indefinitely
because AKC worked closely with breeders in that state. AKC
constituents from Florida to Minnesota to West Virginia have worked
with our talented staff and taken advantage of our useful resources
and, as a result, have seen legislative successes in defeating bad
bills.
In our ongoing efforts to provide these resources to our
constituents, we are pleased to now offer a nationwide legislative
tracking service. Updated daily this handy database gives fanciers
access to pending canine legislation, including bill text, official
legislative summaries, the latest legislative developments, the
progress of specific bills, as well as the most up-to-date AKC
legislative alerts and messages. We recognize that numerous bills
are constantly being introduced nationwide and that is why we still
rely on local club members to notify us of new legislation. If you
hear of a bill we should add to the list, please alert us at
doglaw@akc.org or call the
Government Relations Department at 919-816-3720.
I encourage you to utilize our new tracking service and sign-up for
our complimentary e-newsletter Taking Command, for up-to-date
information on protecting your rights as responsible dog owners and
breeders. AKC is here to help you prepare to engage in the
legislative process with your state lawmakers. For more information
visit:
http://www.akc.org/canine_legislation/
Sincerely,
