American Kennel Club - The Dog's Champion

Legislative Information and Updates from the AKC

A Publication of the AKC Government Relations Department

October 2017

What’s New from AKC Government Relations

This fall has been a very busy one for the AKC Government Relations team, as we continue to advocate for the rights of responsible dog owners and breeders and promote positive canine legislative policy.

Earlier this month, Sheila Goffe testified before Congress on the issue of shortage of appropriate, domestically bred dogs available for work as explosive detection dogs. This shortage of detection dogs presents a significant threat to U.S. national and public security. As of Summer 2017, the US Government was importing between 80-90% of the dogs that enter U.S. explosives detection training programs.

AKC Urges Congress to Support Domestic Violence Victims and Their Pets

The AKC has long been a leader in recognizing the importance of protecting the safety of both victims of domestic violence and their pets. This is why the American Kennel Club is working with members of Congress to advance The Pet and Women Safety Act of 2017 (the 2017 “PAWS” act- H.R. 909/S. 322) that would protect both domestic violence victims and their pets.

AKC Works With Congress to Encourage Development of Domestic Detection Dogs

Since the terrorist attacks on September 11, and subsequent attacks worldwide, there has been a critical need to increase our nation’s security. Experts recognize that there is no better or more efficient way to detect explosives than through the use of high-quality, specially-trained scent detection dogs.

Today, the primary source for such dogs are European vendors. As of Summer 2017, the federal government was importing between 80-90 percent of the dogs that enter the U.S. explosives detection training programs. Non-governmental security providers utilize a similar percentage of imported detection dogs. This shortage of appropriate, domestically-bred dogs available for work as explosive detection dogs presents a significant threat to U.S. national and public security.

AKC GR Out and About

The American Kennel Club’s Government Relations team has had an extremely busy two months, starting with the 15th annual AKC Responsible Dog Ownership Day (RDO) held in Raleigh, NC on September 9th.

Later in the month, the AKC GR team hosted a Southeast Legislative Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. The one-day regional AKC Legislative Conference featured presentations by experts on canine legislation, communications, coalition building, and grassroots advocacy.

NC State Senator Mike Woodard and his English Cocker Spaniel Lilly stopped by AKC’s RDO Day. Photo ©AKC Government Relations

Reichman First Two-Time Winner of Bebout Award

AKC Government Relations is delighted to announce that Barbara Reichman, board member of the National Animal Interest Alliance (NAIA) has become the first two-time winner of the Walter Bebout Memorial Award for Leadership in Canine Legislation by the American Kennel Club.

Legislative Information and Updates

Congress, seven states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico are currently in session, and seven states are in a special legislative session. AKC Government Relations is currently tracking more than 1,700 bills on the federal, state, and local levels. For more information on these bills, and information on how you can get involved, visit our Legislative Action Center at www.akcgr.org. Here are some highlights of pending canine legislation issues across the country.

Visit the 2017 Legislation Tracking page for the most up-to-date information on state and federal legislation. This site, updated each weekday, provides the latest bill text, status, and links to legislative alerts posted by the AKC. Click on the links below to view highlights of issues that are being tracked by AKC Government Relations:

Federal — issues that may affect all dog owners in the U.S.
State — issues specific to your state
Local/Other — issues at the city, county, and metropolitan levels, and in U.S. territories

Please contact AKC GR at (919) 816-3720 or doglaw@akc.org for more information or to let us know what’s happening in your local community.

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