More and more Americans are traveling with their dogs. While by and large this is a great thing, it has raised concerns when dogs are left in vehicles when their health and safety could be at risk.
To address this concern, legislation has been proposed in multiple states over the past few years that allow private citizens to remove animals from vehicles if they believe the animal is in danger. These are commonly known as “Good Samaritan Laws”.
While no one wants to see dogs in danger, there are a number of concerns and unintended consequences that must be considered with this type of legislation. AKC Government Relations has created a new Key Issue page in the Legislative Action Center that provides some talking points and resources regarding this important issue to help legislators develop fair and effective laws to protect dogs – as well as responsible dog owners.
Resources included in the new Dogs in Vehicles Key Issue Page include:
- Official AKC policy position statements
- A printable issue brief with talking points for legislators
- AKC article “Good Samaritan Laws: Unintended Consequences Require a Balanced Approach”
We encourage dog owners to review these materials and share them with lawmakers wanting to introduce legislation on this issue. Also be sure to check back, as more resources, including model legislation, will be coming soon on dogs in vehicles, as well as many other key legislative issues.
The AKC Legislative Action Center 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.
