News

**Update**
July 2, 2008

Click here for a listing of the sportsmen's amendments accepted into House Bill 2525.

June 23, 2008

On June 12, USSA’s vice president for government affairs Rob Sexton testified before the House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee in opposition to HB 2525. 

Click here to watch his testimony.

Click here to see the questions asked by the committee members.

PA Dog Regulations Will Take Bite Out of Sporting Dog Breeders

While the department claimed the regulations would have targeted only “puppy mills,” they would have devastated sporting dog kennels, hobby breeders, boarding kennels, rescue kennels and more.

The sporting dog community fought from the beginning to have the legislature create a clear-cut distinction in the dog law between large commercial breeding operations and private kennels. To that end, we’ve been successful. Now the Governor and Department of Agriculture are pursuing a legislative solution that continuous to create numerous problems for sporting dog kennels.

New Legislation

The new Dog Law legislation, House Bill 2525; sponsored by Representative James E. Casorio Jr., D-Westmoreland, has been introduced in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. While the bill is improved over last year’s proposed regulations, it still threatens to put many sporting dog kennel and hobby breeders out of business.

This bill sets up an unprecedented wave of laws, regulations and enforcement on kennel operators. The most alarming part is the overall fact that this bill sets the Department of Agriculture up with unchecked power. The Department would set its own fees; decide what the requirements are for kennels; decide what constitutes a violation; decide what the penalty would be for a violation, decide who is in violation, whether they are guilty and what their punishment should be. Punishment includes fines and civil penalties set by the Department, forfeiture of dogs without compensation and even jail time.

Clear standards and criteria need to be established in law so that there can be an objective assessment as to whether the punishment handed down in a case is reasonably related to the severity of the crime. Anyone charged by the Department would also incur the costs of the government housing their dogs during the resolution of the offenses and legal fees.

Additionally, this bill decreases the amount of public input on changes to the dog law. It allows searches on residences not associated with the actual operation of a kennel. It subjects license holders to state penalties as a result of local ordinances.

From the beginning, our coalition has been of the view that legislation could be drafted which would effectively eliminate the abuses without endangering the existence of legitimate sporting dog kennels. These concerns should not be difficult to fix while still giving the Department the hammer it wants to have over puppy mills.

Take Action Today!  

The time is now to take action to secure the future of hunting with dogs in Pennsylvania. Legislators are being overwhelmed with pressure from the media and anti-hunters to pass a bill quickly. Unless they hear from sportsmen, legislators will pass a bill that hurts sportsmen and sporting dog kennels.

Click Here to Find And Contact Your Legislator 

Click Here to Send Your Legislator a Letter

Click Here to Read Our Letter to Legislators

Click Here to Read Our Analysis and Needed Changes to The New Bill

Click Here For Talking Points

Click Here For a List of Opponents to The Bill

House Bill 2525 is currently being heard before the House Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee.