AKC Government Relations has seen a recent increase in legislative proposals seeking to address the issue of unscrupulous pet sellers. Unfortunately, many of these measures have the opposite impact of instead over-regulating or banning quality humane and regulated sources, while doing little about irresponsible sellers already breaking applicable laws. 

Such laws exacerbate the problem by reducing the options available to pet owners for obtaining the right pet for their lifestyle from a responsible seller.

To address these issues, AKC Government Relations offers several resources to educate lawmakers on the benefits and effectiveness of a comprehensive consumer protection policy that better protects sellers, buyers, and animals.  

Our latest resource is a printable one-pager with basic talking points for advocates and lawmakers on the value of enacting a strong consumer protection law for pet purchases. 

This resource may be sent on its own to lawmakers, or sent in conjunction with our Consumer Protection Policy Analysis, which provides further information on this issue as well as a model law.

Dog owners, breeders, and sellers are encouraged to visit the Consumer Protection Key Issues page (www.akcgr.org/consumerprotection) in the Legislative Action Center for more information and background on this issue.  

For other policy resources on a variety of canine legislative issues, visit the AKC Legislative Action Center at www.akcgr.org and click on the “Key Issues” and “Toolbox” tabs.