Texas House Passes Bill That Treats Sporting Dog Kennels like Puppy Mills 4/27/11

Texas House Passes Bill That Treats Sporting Dog Kennels like Puppy Mills
4/27/11



A bill that could put many sporting dog owners out of existence has been passed by the Texas House of Representatives and is moving to the Senate.

The bill, House Bill 1451, introduced by Rep. Senfronia Thompson (D- Houston), would classify many sporting dog owners as commercial dog breeders and subject them to costly new regulations, warrantless home inspections, and expensive new permit fees.

Click here to see the list of how Texas Representatives voted.

The bill will now move to the Senate. All sportsmen need to immediately contact their state senators and ask that they oppose House Bill 1451.

Some of the many harmful provisions in the bill include:

Classifying anyone who possesses 11 or more intact female dogs and sells only one dog as a “breeder.” So-called breeders are then subject to unnecessary new regulations and costly fees.
Allowing unannounced warrantless searches of all areas where a breeder keeps dogs or maintains records related to their dogs. Even homes are included in this.
Allowing a commission to set permit fees for breeders that are necessary to pay for administrative costs and enforcement of the bill. The fiscal note attached to the bill estimates that this will amount to nearly $1.3 million. Based on this estimate, fees for sporting dog owners could be in the thousands of dollars per year.
Requiring a commission to establish new, unnecessary standards of care for sporting dog breeders including new enclosure, veterinary, and exercise requirements. These new requirements are not needed and would cause a financial burden on responsible sporting dog breeders.
Unlike Commercial operations, sporting dog kennels and hobby breeders do not typically have a revenue stream to shoulder the cost of high fees, and dramatic costs associated with complying with a bill intended for large scale facilities that exist primarily for the purpose of commerce. More important there have been no findings that justify treating sporting dog kennels and hobby breeders the same as commercial kennels.

Take Action! Texas sportsmen should contact their state senators today and ask them to oppose HB 1451. Tell them the bill unjustly treats sporting dog and hobby breeders as large commercial breeders, allows for warrantless searches of homes, and creates unnecessary, costly new regulations that could put many of these breeders out of existence.

To find your state senator’s contact information, visit the USSA Legislative Action Center at www.ussportsmen.org/LAC.