Julian Prager of the Pennsylvania Federation of Dog Clubs was presented with the AKC’s Walter Bebout Memorial Award for Leadership in Canine Legislation during the Federation’s Annual Meeting on September 2, 2020.
For over a decade, Mr. Prager has served as the Legislative Chair of the Pennsylvania Federation of Dog Clubs (PFDC). As bills are proposed, Prager and his team evaluate the proposals, look for unintended consequences, and establish a position to support or oppose the legislation.
When the push came to rewrite the Pennsylvania Dog Law in 2008-2009, Prager was on the front lines meeting with members of the General Assembly to guarantee that the Federation’s views were heard. When the supporting regulations were being written, Prager also provided valuable input to the Independent Regulatory Review Commission, ensuring that the PFDC and Pennsylvania dog breeders had a voice in the development of those regulations.
Today he continues to closely watch for regulations and legislation that could impact purebred dog breeders in the Commonwealth and work with PFDC on analysis and developing positions.
“Julian’s greatest contribution to the Pennsylvania Federation of Dog Clubs has been his day-to-day activities evaluating legislation and identifying those on which we should focus, [and] finding the unintended consequences in many well-intentioned proposals,” said Darin Cox, PFDC President. “[He works] behind the scenes using his legal knowledge, public policy experience and wisdom to find what [is] hidden in legislative proposals and regulatory changes.”
Prager is an active AKC Delegate and has been an active Board Member/ Officer of the National Animal Interest Alliance (NAIA) for many years. Most recently, he drafted language that became the Healthy Dog Importation Act (HR 6921), a measure strongly supported by AKC and NAIA that “establishes health and vaccination requirements for all dogs imported into the U.S. and promotes interagency coordination to address regulatory authority over such imports.
“Julian Prager is one of our unsung heroes” said Sheila Goffe, Vice President, Government Relations for the American Kennel Club. “Through his policy efforts, whether in New York City, at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., and in many other locations and contexts, Julian has been a great friend to dogs and a protector of the rights of responsible dog owners. We are honored to recognize him with this award as a token of our appreciation and esteem.”
About the Bebout Award
The “Bebout” award recognizes federations and owner/breeder organizations that have demonstrated leadership in educating legislators about responsible dog ownership issues and have worked to preserve the rights of responsible owners and breeders.
Clubs or Federations Recognized by the Bebout award receive a donation to help offset the costs associated with their legislative efforts.
Do you know of a club or organization that is deserving of the Bebout award? To learn more about the award or make a nomination, contact doglaw@akc.org or 919-816-3720.
