In 2004, the Canine Legislation department provided support to thousands of fanciers, Legislative Liaisons, federation members and concerned dog owners on a variety of local, state and federal issues. The department:

• Answered approximately 3,200 email inquires to doglaw@akc.org
• Posted over 60 legislative alerts to AKC’s Web site
• Launched the electronic version of Taking Command
• Released the new brochure, Preserve Your Rights as a Dog Owner: Be Your Dog’s Owners, Not Its Guardian
• Hosted our second annual Lobby Day in Washington, DC
• Networked with over 10,000 legislators at the National Conference of State Legislators and National League of Cities Conference
• Cosponsored “Pet Night” on Capitol Hill for Members of Congress
• Hosted and/or participated in several legislative workshops across the country

One the state level, the department tracked unprecedented 345 animal-related bills. Approximately 95 of those bills pertained to animal cruelty while over 50 bills addressed dangerous dog concerns. State legislators introduced 19 bills pertaining to homeowners’ insurance and dogs this year—the largest number ever. Pet population concerns continued to be a hot-button issue as lawmakers proposed several stringent breeding restriction laws, established numerous companion animal task forces, and addressed consumer protection issues in several states.

The 2004 session also saw the introduction of several state bills pertaining to civil liability penalties when a pet has been wrongfully injured or killed. Some of these bills allowed owners to sue for non-economic damages (i.e., pain and suffering) in the event of wrongful injury or death of a pet. Other unique areas that were addressed by legislators this year included: limiting or banning the use of animals as prizes, the creation of animal trusts, strengthening animal welfare enforcement, amendments to veterinary practice laws, and increasing penalties for injury or death to guide dogs.

On the local level, the department acted on approximately 140 ordinances that impact dog owners. Of those ordinances, over a third pertained to dangerous dogs while limit laws and breeding restriction proposals were almost equally represented. Breed-specific measures were especially prevalent in Iowa, Kansas and Massachusetts. Dog parks continue to gain in popularity with an unprecedented number of cities across the country reporting the establishment of off-leash parks.