The Dog Law Blog
Repost from AKC Govt Relations - U.S. Senate: Ask Your Senators to Oppose Harmful Proposals in Senate Farm Bill Legislation
by Rex Gaylord on 06/17/24The U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee is currently considering proposals for inclusion in the Senate Farm Bill. Right now, animal rights/ “protection” groups are actively lobbying your Senator(s) to include two proposals that could harm responsible dog breeders.
Regular Active Sessions after May 31
by Rex Gaylord on 05/14/24As the days get ever longer, more and more sessions come to a close. The only states with active regular session after May 31 will be: CA, LA, MA, MI, NH, NJ, NY, NC, OH, PA, RI, WI, DC, and of course Congress.
From the AKC Government Relations Department
by Rex Gaylord on 05/10/24
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today released a letter advising of a change in the rules pertaining to importation of cats and dogs into the United States.
Effective August 1, 2024, the CDC is implementing a process to standardize imports that will require that all dogs being imported into the U.S. must be 6 months of age, irrespective of where they are coming from or for what purpose.
Summary:
CDC’s letter states CDC is updating this regulation to protect the health and safety of people and animals, and to prevent the reintroduction of dog rabies to the United States. The regulation will address recent challenges with international dog importations and more closely align with the World Organisation for Animal Health’s standards for the international movement of dogs from countries determined to be a high-risk for dog rabies.
Under the new rule, all dogs must meet the following requirements for importation into the United States (including those that left the U.S. and are returning—regardless of the country they are being imported from):
- Be healthy upon arrival
- Be at least 6 months of age
- Have an ISO -compatible microchip (implanted prior to any required rabies vaccinations)
- Have a CDC Dog Import Form receipt. The CDC Dog Import Form is an online form on CDC’s website
- Have additional documents depending on where the dog has been in the last 6 months and whether or not the dog was vaccinated in the United States.
- Additional requirements will be needed for dogs imported from countries designated as high-risk for DMRVV (canine rabies). These requirements may include arriving at a port with a CDC-registered animal care facility (ACF), an appointment with an ACF prior to import, and quarantine. For more details, visit cdc.gov/dogtravel.
The new rule replaces a temporary rule that will expire on August 1, 2024. The current temporary rule, which AKC supports, restricted the import of dogs from countries designated as high risk for rabies and other contagious diseases, while also allowing for the import of younger pets from low-risk countries as personal pets not for transfer.
Unlike legislative proposals, administrative rule changes go through a period of public comment regarding changes proposed by an agency tasked with promulgating existing law. The new rule follows a period of public comment on CDC’s proposed changes governing imports of dogs and cats, which concluded in September 2023. View AKC’s comments submitted on the proposed rule.
AKC GR will continue to study the new rule change and provide additional information as appropriate.
For additional information on CDC’s new entry requirements please visit www.cdc.gov/dogtravel. If you have any questions about your own particular case, please contact CDC at [email protected].
April Notes
by Rex Gaylord on 04/28/24As the spring flowers start to bloom, even more state legislatures call it done for the year. GA, ID, MA, and SD have now ended their sessions, joining FL, IN, NM, OR, UT, VA, WA, WV, and WY (Borrowed from the BillTrack50 April Newsletter).
US Senate: Goldie’s Act Allows for Seizure of Dogs for Undefined ‘Psychological Harm’ – Oppose Now
by Rex Gaylord on 03/25/24From AKC Government Relations
Late last week, Goldie’s Act (HR 1788/S 4033), was introduced in the U.S. Senate. This harmful bill:
- Redefines “violations” of the federal Animal Welfare Act;
- Allows for immediate seizure or euthanasia of animals suffering from “psychological harm”, a term it does not define;
- Removes distinctions between minor non-compliances such as paperwork errors and animal care violations. AWA enforcement emphasis should be on the health and welfare of animals;
- Requires posting of images of violations on a publicly accessible database; and
- Undermines the property rights of responsible breeders.
A Call For Your Help
by Rex Gaylord on 03/24/24
There are few tools that allow tracking of proposed or new laws and regulations at the Municipal and County levels. If you have found a resource that keeps you aware of your local actions or if you are aware of laws or regulations that impact dog sports or responsible breeders, please let us know about them so we can include the info here.
Michigan: Bills Impacting Dog Ownership Rights Advancing
by Rex Gaylord on 03/24/24https://www.akc.org/legislative-alerts/michigan-bills-impacting-dog-ownership-rights-advancing/
Data Collected About Commercial Dog Breeders Would No Longer Be Private Under MN Bill
by Rex Gaylord on 03/24/24West Virginia Information: Senate Approves Resolution Declaring May 1, 2024, as Purebred Dog Day
by Rex Gaylord on 03/24/24Legislation in AZ, OR, WY, KS, MO, TN, AL GA, SC, FL, WV, and OH
by Rex Gaylord on 03/23/24
The Heart of Dixie Shiba Inu Fanciers, Inc appointed a Legislative Committee. This blog is our first attempt to help our members keep aware of the proposed legislation and newly enacted laws in their area. Since we have members in AZ, OR, WY, KS, MO, TN, AL GA, SC, FL, WV, and OH it will take some time to find and monitor this information for our members. We are using information from The AKC and Bill Track 50. In the future we will attempt to combine the two Excel files and put them into a better format, and we will highlight anything we see that needs attention by our members we will highlight it here.
Both West Virginia and Georgia have put forth resolutions to recognize May 1st as Purebred Dog Day.
Missouri has several bills before them that could easily impact dog breeders there including keeping records on genetic testing, health testing, and vaccination records. They have some bills on “micro shelters” that potentially could impact dog breeders. If you are from Missouri, I encourage you to use the hyperlinks in the spreadsheets to review.
In Tennessee there is proposed legislation that would define a “Commercial Breeder” as “individuals controlling ten or more dogs or cats for the purpose of selling their offspring as companion animals” and then sets forth additional regulations for them.
Please contact us if you have any suggestions for The Dog Law Blog.
