House Bill 2, a budget bill to be voted on before the New Hampshire Senate, now includes language that treats nearly all types of kennels as commercial entities, subjecting sporting dog kennels to costly and burdensome regulations intended for large-scale puppy-selling operations.
The new language, which redefines a “pet vendor” as anyone who transfers 25 or more animals within 12 months comes from Sen. Jeb Bradley’s (R-Wolfeboro) Senate Bill 161, which only received one public hearing. Placing this language in the House passed budget bill will deny New Hampshire sportsmen their chance to take their concerns to the House of Representatives. The New Hampshire Senate is planning to vote on House Bill 2 on Thursday, June 6. Session begins at 10 a.m.
Take Action Today! New Hampshire sportsmen and women should call their state senators and state representatives and ask them to remove the “pet vendor” language amendment in HB 2. New Hampshire members can contact their senators and representatives by using the Sportsmen’s Alliance Legislative Action Directory.
Current New Hampshire law defines a commercial kennel as anyone who transfers 10 or more litters, or 50 or more puppies, in any 12-month period. Under the amendment in HB 2, this definition would be replaced with the new, lower-threshold “pet vendor.” As a result, many hobby breeders and sporting dog kennels will be regulated as a commercial kennel, and risk of elimination because they don’t produce a steady stream of revenue from selling puppies to pay for the cost of regulations normally associated with a commercial facility.
“The best chance New Hampshire sporting dog owners have to fix this is to persuade their senator to ask for an amendment on the floor to remove this language from House Bill 2,” said Luke Houghton, associate director of state services for Sportsmen’s Alliance. “That would allow for public hearings so legislators have the chance to understand the concerns of sportsmen. Laws in many other states, including neighboring Maine and Massachusetts, all draw clear distinctions between commercial and hobby breeders.”
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.
