Cross-posted***

I think it is necessary that Pennsylvanians know what is going on there.The Governor's original draft was sent to several people and groups for comment...by members of the Dog Law Advisory Board.That was how I received it, and why I shared it. In any case, according to all reports, after asking for comments, the Dog Advisory Board (et al) has decided to ignore the comments and go ahead and redraft the proposal as if there had been no input.
So, for Pennsylvania's dog owners, here you are. If y'all want to tell me this is nobody's business, that the Federation is handling it just fine, that's OK, don't bother. I don't live there...I'm just sharing information. We have enough bad legislation proposed here in Virginia.........
Peggy

There is a VERY important meeting in Harrisburg which will impact ALL dog fanciers! If you can attend, please do.
from Sandra Krupski
FSCA/NSCA Legislative Liaison to the AKC

ATTENTION TO ANYONE THAT OWNS A DOG IN PENNSYLVANIA: (please forward to dog enthusiasts in your address book)

A Board meeting has been scheduled specifically so that the 24 members of the Dog Law Advisory Board can publicly discuss the Governor's preliminary draft Dog Law legislation and regulations, and provide input on behalf of various interested parties they represent before this legislation is introduced or the regulations published.

The meeting will take place on Wednesday January 23rd at 1:00 pm in the VIP room of the Farm Show Complex located at 2300 N. Cameron Street in Harrisburg. Copies of the new draft will be made available to the public for the first time at this meeting.

Be advised that stakeholders meetings were not held last year before the first draft of the regulations were published. The powers that be
conveniently skipped talking to persons in Pennsylvania that would be
affected by the regulation changes. They tried to ram rod it thru and met with serious resistance. Most compelling was the scorching comments from the Independent Regulatory Review Committee.

Some of the comments the Independent Regulatory Review Commission received included in the 21 page report:

Ø Although many expressed support for the goals, even supporters
expressed concern about the regulations
Ø Fiscal impacts presented by the Department of Agriculture were
significantly understated
Ø Costs are expected to exceed what could be recovered by increasing adoption fees
Ø Non- breeding kennels, including Humane Societies and rescues, would be forced to close their doors (the commission asked the Dept of Ag to identify one kennel that meets the proposed regulations and they could not produce the name and address of one facility that currently complies)
Ø The unintended consequence of the proposed regulation carries a
significant impact on public health and safety
Ø The IRRC stated that the Department of Agriculture needs to identify the problems that it seeks to resolve and sate how the provisions of the proposed regulations will solve the identified problems.

The Independent Regulatory Review Commission STRONGLY encouraged the Dept of Ag to organize stakeholder meetings to develop a full understanding so it can develop standards that protect the health and safety of dogs. The Dept of Ag was told it should work with affected parties to develop improved ideas for achieving its policy objectives without imposing unnecessary or unreasonable burdens BEFORE rewriting another draft.

UNFORTUNATELY, once again "they" know best or are pursuing a different objective because they drafted new legislation/regulation before they held stakeholders meetings. They redrafted and now are holding stakeholders meetings without developing improved ideas from those that could offer meaningful help. The new draft is worse than the first! How arrogant to be advised to seek information from Pennsylvanians and yet again, go it alone.

Please attend this meeting if you can. See how the proposed legislation will affect your ability to own animals. Whether it be that you can no longer find or afford a boarding kennel for vacation, or cannot find an out-of-state breeder willing to comply with these onerous restrictions, or breed your dog, or even buy a puppy for a reasonable price, or that you must own a fire extinguisher or install a sprinkler system in your house if you own a dog. The list goes on an on.

Like most of you, I abhor animal cruelty. Legislation can protect against cruelty without penalizing all dog owners in the process!!!! Animal cruelty is being addressed under the current law. Puppy mills were shut down last year and cruelty citations were issued. Perhaps the problem lies in the enforcement of the current law and should be addressed there.