On Tuesday, Sept. 26, from 1 to 5 p.m., the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government (JCMRG) has scheduled a public hearing on two bills of serious concern to sportsmen and sporting dog breeders, H.2019 and S.1309.

Last session, H.305, Ollie’s Law, was introduced. H.305 would have added regulations to pet daycare facilities. The bill failed to receive a hearing. The House bill sponsor refiled Ollie’s Law this year, and unfortunately, added several regulations and restrictions that will affect sporting dog breeders. H.2019 and S.1309 will:

• create a new sixth municipal kennel license category for “personal breeder kennel” by carving out a subset of “personal kennel” owners that have intact female dogs over six months of age,
• adopt commercial rules and regulations and apply them to “personal breeder kennel” licensees, unless they keep all offspring of their personally owned dogs,
• add state regulations and enforcement for municipal kennel licensees,
• appoint an advisory committee to annually review regulations and recommend staff-to-dog ratios, fire and emergency planning, group sizes and supervision, minimum housing and care requirements, indoor and outdoor physical facility requirements, dog handling, and insurance for commercial boarding or training kennels and private residences, and
• require reporting of all injuries to dogs or people to the state for investigation.

The safety and care of animals is a serious subject and the Sportsmen’s Alliance does not tolerate the abuse of animals. However, H.2019 and S.1309 are no longer about adding regulations and restrictions to commercial business to protect dogs but will incorporate personal and hobby breeders who just want to work, exhibit, show or improve their breed of dog for the use in legal sporting activities.

Please use our Take Action button to email the members of the committee urging them to OPPOSE H.2019 and S.1309 and concentrate on true legislation to protect the care and safety of dogs.

Don’t forget to share this email with your family, friends, and fellow sportsmen asking them to also email the committee urging them to OPPOSE H.2019 and S.1309. Sportsmen cannot let the misrepresentation of animal-rights extremists continue to crater the long tradition of hunting with dogs.

About the Sportsmen’s Alliance: The Sportsmen’s Alliance protects and defends America’s wildlife conservation programs and the pursuits – hunting, fishing and trapping – that generate the money to pay for them. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation is responsible for public education, legal defense and research. Its mission is accomplished through several distinct programs coordinated to provide the most complete defense capability possible. Stay connected to Sportsmen’s Alliance: Online, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.