AKC Government Relations continues to see proposals introduced on the state and local levels throughout the United States that seek to limit pet stores to only sourcing animals from rescues and shelters. 

The AKC advocates for responsible dog owners and supports strong enforcement of local and state animal cruelty laws as well as the federal Animal Welfare Act, which provides consistent minimum standards of care, regulatory oversight and inspections of pet breeders, dealers, and other important players in the pet industry. The majority of breeders who register their dogs with AKC do not sell pets through pet stores; however, AKC’s strong commitment to responsible dog ownership and the well-being of all dogs, and our expertise with both rescue and purpose-bred dogs compels us to weigh in on this important issue.

AKC GR has developed a new Key Issues webpage in the AKC Legislative Action Center on pet choice/ retail pet sales bans. The page contains issue analyses, resources and talking points to help legislators, AKC clubs, and the public better understand this issue. The page highlights AKC’s concerns about bans on pet sales, which typically restrict consumer choice, undermine consumer protection, and do little to address the issue of cruelty. 

New resources include:

• A new Issue Analysis article: Bans On Retail Pet Sales Fail To Protect Pets, Undermine Responsible Pet Choice
• A printable one-page factsheet with basic talking points
• AKC position statements
• Other articles and blogs regarding the issue of retail bans and pet choice

We encourage you to review these materials and share them with club members, legislators, and other dog owners to help them understand the importance of this issue.  And be sure to keep checking back, as AKC GR continues to add new resources on a broad variety of important legislative issues.

The AKC Legislative Action Center (www.akcgr.org) is a one-stop shop for dog owners, club members, and breeders to find the tools and resources you need to be an advocate for your dogs and breeding program.  Be sure to visit www.akcgr.org for the latest legislative alerts, as well as numerous advocacy tools and resources on a broad range of canine legislative issues.