Registered: Jul 2003
Location: Texas
Posts: 4324

I received this from a friend in Tennessee - she summarized the situation well.
This is of utmost importance. If anyone cares, and I feel like you do, this legislation is an imposition on our rights as dog owners, handlers, and exhibitors. Many of us will be put out of business with the few dogs we have. We don't own vast numbers of dogs. I have 4 dogs! Just 4!!! and yet the criteria stated here will prevent me from breeding one litter to keep as show dogs. I don't even sell dogs to anyone period. To add insult to injury, there are undercurrents of illegal search and seizure by the "powers that be" and the powers that be haven't officially been named or appointed for the most part. I have read that there will be inspections, unlimited access to houses, homes, and kennel premises. Guys, our basic rights will be violated. Please contact your legislators and urge them to reject these bills which have been recently introduced. If you know anyone anywhere who loves companion animals and owns them, get them on board as well to champion our cause here.

From: John Yates
Sent: Tuesday, February 10, 2009 6:13 PM
Subject: Tennessee Dog Owners Alert

Maryland Dog Breeding Bill Hearing Feb 18

Florida Spay/Neuter Mandate Assigned Committee,
Oregon And Tennessee Face Breeding Restrictions,
And Texas Faces Outdoor Kenneling Prohibitions


Animal rights legislation from the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) playbook is aimed at dog owners in five more states:

• Maryland legislation makes dog breeding law violations into criminal cases, and sets a 10-dog limit before commercial kennel regulations apply. A House hearing has been set for February 18.

• A universal spay and neuter mandate for dogs in Florida has been assigned to a House committee for study and possible hearings.

• Oregon and Tennessee dog owners face strict limits on dog ownership and most hobby breeders would be regulated as commercial kennels.

• And outdoor and ranch housing for dogs would be effectively banned in Texas.


Maryland

New Maryland legislation takes the dangerous step of including dog breeding in the criminal code, and snags up anyone who owns or possesses 10 or more intact dogs over age four months in the requirements for housing, care and exercise.

A hearing has been set on this legislation before the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee on February 18 at 1 p.m.

Senate Bill 318, sponsored by Senators Lisa Gladden (District 41), George Della (District 46), Richard Madaleno (District 18), and Norman Stone (District 6) prohibits anyone in Maryland from owning, controlling or having custody and charge of more than 50 dogs that have not been spayed or neutered. Violation of this provision would be a criminal offense.

While that provision will affect hunt clubs and some professional trainers or handlers, the bill’s greatest impact will be on people who raise dogs as a hobby.

For anyone who owns, controls or possesses 10 or more sexually intact dogs over the age of four months, SB 318 imposes rules for dog housing, care and exercising in the criminal code. However, the legislation does not specify who will enforce this provision or make inspections, or how a kennel owner can prove compliance.

A “breeding dog” is defined as any dog that is sexually intact and older than four months. This definition includes all field trial, show and competition dogs in this age category, and also many hunting, herding, farm and companion dogs, even though they are not used for breeding, or may be only bred once in their lifetimes.

The American Sporting Dog Alliance sees this as a step to include all intact dogs in a commercial breeding category to impose much more stringent regulations. In the Maryland bill, however, it takes it a step further by criminalizing the breeding of dogs, even on a hobby level.

The housing and space requirements are minimal, although they might be construed to prohibit the common practice of having household dogs sleep in crates, or using crates for housebreaking.

But the exercise requirements are vague, in that they require every dog to be removed from its “primary enclosure” for two hours of exercise a day at a walking pace. “Primary enclosure” is not defined, but in many states it means a dog’s entire kennel run and, for dogs kept in a home, the entire part of the house that is accessible to a dog.

The legislation provides no means for a dog owner to prove that exercise requirements are being met, if challenged by an animal control officer, animal cruelty police officer or policeman. No standards of proof are specified.

Violations would be classified as misdemeanors under the criminal code, subject to a fine of up to $1,000.

Here is a link to the text of the legislation: http://mlis.state.md.us/2009rs/bills/sb/sb0318f.pdf .

SB 318 has been sent to the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee, 2 East, Miller Senate Building, Annapolis, MD 21401 (410-841-3623 Annapolis/Baltimore or 301-858-3623 Washington, D.C.).

Here are the committee members. Chair: Sen. Brian E. Frosh, Vice Chair: Sen. Lisa A. Gladden, and Senators James Brochin, C. Anthony Muse, Jennie M. Forehand, Jamie Raskin, Larry E. Haines, Bryan W. Simonaire, Nancy Jacobs, Norman R. Stone, Jr. and Alexander X. Mooney. The committee staff members are Susan H. Russell and Shirleen M. Pilgrim, Dept. of Legislative Services, Telephone: 410-946-5510/5350 or 301-970-5510/5350. The assistant to the Chair is Lynn Hudson.

The American Sporting Dog Alliance is asking all Maryland dog owners to contact the members of this committee before the February 18 hearing. Please object strongly to this intrusive and potentially dangerous legislation, and ask the senators to vote against it. Please note that Sen. Gladden and Sen. Stone, who sit on this committee, are sponsors of the legislation.

The link to each senator’s email address requires scrolling down alphabetically to the correct name: http://mlis.state.md.us/mgaweb/mail32.aspx. The legislature’s website provides no other contact information.

FLORIDA

Almost every dog and cat in Florida would have to be spayed or neutered under the terms of House Bill 451, which was assigned to the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Committee this past Friday. Thus far, the committee has not scheduled any meetings or hearings about this legislation, but it is expected to move fairly quickly.

HB 451 mandates that spaying or neutering would have to be done within 30 days of an animal reaching four months of age, which is an age that much recent research has shown may be medically dangerous.

The only exceptions would be for severe medical risks, or if a municipality passes an ordinance that allows dogs that are registered with an approved registry to be licensed as a show animal, an animal actively engaged in competition, a guide dog, or a dog used by police officers or the military. Certain registries, such as Field Dog Stud Book, have not been approved in any place that has mandatory spay/neuter laws.

No dog or cat could be bred in Florida, except by virtue of a county ordinance allowing the sale of a breeding permit. In the absence of a county ordinance, no one could breed a dog or cat in Florida.

However, the legislation also allows counties to impose more strict ordinances, and even to ban all dog breeding outright.

Stiff fines are provided for people who do not sterilize their dogs, and a third offense becomes a misdemeanor charge with possible jail time.

The preamble to the bill, which describes the reason for it, is based on several faulty or inaccurate presumptions. None of the stated reasons have been documented, and much research contradicts several of them.

Florida’s legislative session officially begins in March, but some committees already have begun to hold meetings. HB 451 was introduced by Rep. Scott Randolph, D-Orange County.

Here is a link to the actual legislation: http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Secti...p;Session=2009.

We urge Florida dog and cat owners to contact members of this committee and ask them to oppose HB 451. Please remind them that several national polls by mainstream publications have shown strong opposition to spay and neuter mandates. For example, a poll last summer by Parade Magazine showed that 90-percent of the 55,249 people who responded were opposed to it.

Here is a link to contact information for members of the committee: http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Secti...mmitteeId=2470.

We also urge all Floridians to contact their own legislator and express your opposition to this legislation. Here is a link page for each legislator’s contact information: http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Secti...entatives.aspx.

Please note that email links are not provided on the website. However, you can send an email by using a legislator’s first and last name, such as in this example: john.doe@myfloridahouse.gov.

This link will allow you to track the legislation: http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Secti...p;SessionId=61.

__________________
SKY
___________________
Author of the novel "Follow Jennifer"

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged