DATE:
TO: The Honorable Members of the Senate Finance Committee
RE: OPPOSITION TO SB460 REGULATE COMMERCIAL DOG BREEDING
WE THE UNDERSIGNED ARE OPPOSED TO SB460 IN ITS ENTIRETY.
The bill is based on numerous emotional assumptions that breeder/owners with 15 females are keeping them in crowded, unsanitary conditions for mass-production. The bill also assumes that an owner of this number of dogs isn’t capable of managing a kennel and maintaining dogs in good health without state intervention.
It is wrong to use a numerical basis to begin excessive regulation of dog breeders as numbers have no correlation to quality of care.
The cost to dog owners/breeders for construction of commercial grade facilities to meet state requirements will be enormous. It is irresponsible for legislators to force this expense on citizens who are already financially stressed in the current recession.
The requirement for annual veterinary certification of suitable health for breeding is very vague. Certification could require anything from routine physical exam to an expensive panel of blood tests and x-rays. There are no standardized, specific laboratory tests or specialized reproductive examination procedures that are suitable for assessing the health status of bitches for breeding. No other species has this pre-breeding regulation in place. This provision only serves to make breeding dogs more expensive and more complicated. The decision to breed or not breed a dog should remain at the discretion of the owner and not become a legislative mandate.
According to the Fiscal Summary, estimated costs to implement this regulatory program are a staggering quarter of a million dollars for this year and increase to over $400,000 going forward with virtually no income. This appears to be exceedingly costly versus any perceived welfare benefit to a small segment of owned dogs. All dogs should be equally protected which is why we have existing animal cruelty laws.
Please vote NO on SB460.
(signatures attached)
DATE:
TO: The Honorable Members of the House Agriculture Committee
RE: OPPOSITION TO HB733 REGULATE COMMERCIAL DOG BREEDING
WE THE UNDERSIGNED ARE OPPOSED TO HB733 IN ITS ENTIRETY.
The bill is based on numerous emotional assumptions that breeder/owners with 15 females are keeping them in crowded, unsanitary conditions for mass-production. The bill also assumes that an owner of this number of dogs isn’t capable of managing a kennel and maintaining dogs in good health without state intervention.
It is wrong to use a numerical basis to begin excessive regulation of dog breeders as numbers have no correlation to quality of care.
The cost to dog owners/breeders for construction of commercial grade facilities to meet state requirements will be enormous. It is irresponsible for legislators to force this expense on citizens who are already financially stressed in the current recession.
The requirement for annual veterinary certification of suitable health for breeding is very vague. Certification could require anything from routine physical exam to an expensive panel of blood tests and x-rays. There are no standardized, specific laboratory tests or specialized reproductive examination procedures that are suitable for assessing the health status of bitches for breeding. No other species has this pre-breeding regulation in place. This provision only serves to make breeding dogs more expensive and more complicated. The decision to breed or not breed a dog should remain at the discretion of the owner and not become a legislative mandate.
According to the Fiscal Summary, estimated costs to implement this regulatory program are a staggering quarter of a million dollars for this year and increase to over $400,000 going forward with virtually no income. This appears to be exceedingly costly versus any perceived welfare benefit to a small segment of owned dogs. All dogs should be equally protected which is why we have existing animal cruelty laws.
Please vote NO on HB733.
(signatures attached)
OPPOSITION TO SB460 / HB733 COMMERCIAL DOG BREEDING REGULATION
Sportsmen’s & Animal Owners’ Voting Alliance
Sportsmen’s & Animal Owners’ Voting Alliance