Public Hearing Set For Bill Treating Sporting Dog Owners As “Puppy Mills”

USSA Alert: Sportsmen and sporting dog owners should plan to attend and voice their opposition!

A public hearing has been set for House Bill 1451 which would treat many sporting dog and hobby breeders the same as so-called “puppy mills” and could put many sporting dog and hobby breeders out of existence. Sportsmen and sporting dog owners should plan on attending to voice their opposition to House Bill 1451.

The hearing will take place this Thursday, May 12th at 1:30 p.m. and will be held in Room 2E.20 (Betty King Committee Room) at the Capitol in Austin.

House Bill 1451 would:

•Classify sporting dog kennels or hobby breeders who have 11 female dogs that have not been spayed to be classified the same as a huge commercial dealer if they sell just two dogs.

•Charge kennel license fees likely to be at least $1,300 per kennel even for hobby breeders who hardly ever sell dogs.

•Create an unelected commission to create kennel construction requirements, record keeping requirements and other expensive red tape items that hobby breeders cannot afford because their primary purpose is not to sell dogs.

•Allow for unannounced inspections of kennels and the homes of their owners if they keep their kennel records on a computer inside their house.

•Allow for the inspection of records within a home without any suspicion of wrong doing or even a search warrant.

•Threaten to drive sporting dog kennels and hobby breeders out of business because they do not have the commercial revenue to offset high fees, and expensive regulations.

•Disclose personal information about dog breeders to the public by creating a public directory containing information on all registered breeders.

Take Action! Sportsmen and sporting dog owners should plan on attending Thursday’s hearing and testify in opposition to House Bill 1451. Those unable to attend should call their state senator and ask them to vote no on House Bill 1451. To contact your senator, visit the
U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Legislative Action Center

For more information, contact the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance at 614-888-4868 or email info@ussportsmen.org

U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance
801 Kingsmill Parkway
Columbus, Ohio 43229
614-888-4868