2009 has been a year of many challenges and many victories for responsible dog owners, fanciers, and breeders. The AKC Government Relations Department (GR) has been pleased to work with thousands of dog owners around the country in support of responsible dog ownership.

Outreach in 2009 demonstrated that grassroots advocacy works. The many successes enjoyed in 2009 would not have been possible without the tireless efforts of the AKC federations, as well as numerous clubs, fanciers, and breeders who communicated with their legislators and helped educate their communities. Time and again this year we saw legislators withdraw or defeat bills as a result of the concerns of their constituents who took the time to explain the issues.

Here are a few examples of our successes (for a complete list, view our 2009 Legislative Successes web page):

• Montana – A bill which sought to ban and possibly euthanize all “pit bulls” was defeated 1-15 in committee, with only the sponsor supporting the bill after the committee heard from hundreds of concerned dog owners.
• Florida – As a result of thousands of phone calls, letters, and legislative meetings, the sponsor withdrew a statewide mandatory spay/neuter bill.
• New York – A committee chairman agreed to not hear a bill that would ban ear cropping and tail docking in the state, as well as the exhibition of any dog with a docked tail in New York after receiving thousands of letters, phone calls, and e-mails from fanciers and breeders in New York and around the country.
• Los Angeles, CA – The Los Angeles County Regional Planning Board unanimously rejected proposed zoning changes for dog kennels after hearing from numerous responsible breeders in the community.

AKC GR anticipates a large number of challenges again in 2010 at the federal, state, and local levels, but this year demonstrated that the united voice of responsible dog owners, fanciers, and breeders can be a powerful tool. In 2009, three states established new AKC federations (Indiana, Kansas, and Illinois) to provide a united voice for their state and local communities. We encourage clubs to join their state’s AKC federation or consider developing one with other AKC clubs and responsible dog owners/breeders in your state.

Below are summaries of 2009 state and local canine legislative activity. For more information on specific legislation, or to learn more about how you can join our fight, contact the AKC Government Relations Department at (919) 816-3720 or doglaw@akc.org.

State Legislative Overview
Grassroots efforts continue to be essential to protecting the rights of responsible dog owners and breeders. In 2009, ongoing anti-dog owner and breeder legislation across the country demonstrated the need to continue to seize all opportunities educate legislatures and communities about responsible dog ownership and reasonable solutions that address the needs of both our communities and responsible dog owners. In 2009, AKC GR witnessed a nine percent increase in dog related measures introduced in state legislatures on a variety of issues. View a chart with the estimated breakdown of issues addressed in state legislatures.

Arguably the most prominent and controversial issue addressed in 2009 was breeder/kennel regulations. Our breeder legislation matrix shows how many bills followed a set formula that sought to place a cap on animal ownership, allow for unannounced inspections without probable cause, and impose numerous arbitrary and unenforceable requirements. Fortunately, strong education and advocacy efforts helped make a difference on these bills, as many of them failed or were significantly improved through the amendment process. In 2010 we expect to see this trend continue, along with an increase in attempts by animal rights groups to bring anti-breeder proposals directly to the general public in the form of election-day ballot initiatives.

Local Overview

The GR Department responded to approximately 120 local/municipal issues this year as well. Again, as with the state legislatures, we saw numerous successes resulting from grassroots advocacy and community education (Such as in Mashpee, MA, where numerous fanciers and dog owners held events and distributed literature that succeeded in defeating a ban on “pit bulls”).

Local proposals vary widely depending on the situation in various communities. As illustrated by the chart below, approximately 40 percent of the issues we addressed in 2009 dealt with breed restrictions or bans, demonstrating the need for further outreach and education in this policy area.