FAKC meets in
Orlando on May 19

At International Palms Resort
& Conference Center

Meeting starts at 10:00 AM

Florida Association of Kennel Clubs will hold a special meeting of Member Clubs on May 19, 2012, beginning at 10:00 A.M. at the International Palms Resort & Conference Center Orlando, 6515 International Drive, Orlando, Florida 32819, Tel: 800-354-8332. The meeting is expected to adjourn by 3:00 P.M.

Each FAKC member club is requested to send its Delegate, who will keep their club informed about the items concerning the dog fancy that are discussed at the meeting, and who is empowered to vote on behalf of the club in all matters which come before this meeting, and will contribute to the work of the FAKC.

Representatives of non-member clubs are very welcome and are encouraged to participate in the discussions. Visitors also are welcome.

The main items on the agenda will be:
-- Planning for our next year's Florida Legislature's session.
-- Report on the 2012 Florida Legislature's session.
-- Discuss what is going on in the counties and how we can combat it.
-- Discuss and decide upon the Official Position of FAKC on counties taking a "No Kill" position for animal control.

Tell Congress to reject federal PUPS bill

PUPS - HR 835 and S 707 miss the mark!

Use NAIA's CapWiz to send your letters

The federal Puppy Uniform Protection and Safety (PUPS) legislation drafted by H$U$ and introduced in 2011 as Senate Bill 707 and House Bill 835. The purpose of PUPS is to close a loophole in the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA) which allows breeders who sell more than 50 dogs a year and sell over the Internet, to do so without regulation and oversight by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). Read the text of the bill here.

PUPS would require anyone who owns or co-owns dogs that produce 50 or more puppies offered for sale in a 12-month period to be regulated under existing USDA dog “dealer” regulations. These regulations are designed for high-volume commercial kennels that produce puppies for wholesale, and require a USDA commercial license, maintenance of specified commercial kennel engineering standards and regular inspections.

PUPS' definition of a “high volume retail breeder” would be anyone with “an ownership interest in or custody of one or more breeding female dogs.” It defines a “breeding female” as an intact female dog aged 4 months or older.

Dog breeding was first regulated under the AWA at a time when most large scale commercial breeders sold their dogs through middlemen to pet stores. The regulations are designed to protect the welfare of dogs, and to provide consumer protection to purchasers of pet store puppies who are unable to see and judge the conditions under which their puppy was produced. The growing number of large scale commercial breeders who sell their dogs over the Internet meet the historical criteria for regulation because, like the pet store purchasers, their customers are generally unable to see the environment in which their puppy was bred. Instead of buying their puppy at the seller's home or kennel, their puppy is generally shipped to them after an online sale is made.

USDA has the subject matter knowledge, the history and statutory authority to regulate this group of breeders, and can do so by amending the Act so that large scale breeders who use indirect means such as the Internet to sell and distribute their puppies will no longer be exempt.

The category of breeders regulated needs to be defined carefully so that it does not expand federal oversight to breeders who sell directly to the public from their homes, or breed and sell 50 dogs or fewer per year. Unfortunately, the PUPS bill does not stay within these parameters and it contains several other notable flaws. Hobbyists, casual breeders and some commercial breeders who sell directly to the public have never been considered appropriate targets for federal regulation. PUPS would cause many small scale hobbyists, sporting dog enthusiasts and working dog breeders to throw in the towel. It would also stretch the resources of USDA beyond its budgetary and operating capacity, reducing coverage in the areas with the greatest risk, and unnecessarily duplicating efforts by state and local agencies, as well as dog registries like the AKC that conduct significant inspection programs.

Write your Senators and Representatives and ask them to reject PUPS as currently drafted. Let them know you support its goals, but don't believe it will achieve its objectives and could cause more problems than it solves.

Join FAKC on Facebook!

We are crawling into the 21st Century, which includes creating a Facebook page. There are many ways to communicate these days, and Facebook seems to be one of the easiest for many dog owners. So feel free to click on our Facebook icon in the upper left corner of the page.  And, if you like what you see, let us know by clicking the LIKE button, too.

Hillsborough County enacts
anti-tethering ordinance

The Hillsborough County Commission passed anti-tethering amendments to the county's animal control ordinance, at its January 19 meeting. Amendments included requiring the dogs' handlers must be outdoors and in visual range of the dogs; and prohibiting tethering dogs under 6 months of age. The new law takes effect in August.

CLICK ON & READ

FAKC President's
Summer 2011 Message

From H$U$'s Wayne Pacelle's Playbook:

“We have no problem with the extinction of domestic animals. They are creations of human selective breeding.”

All AKC puppies
should be registered

As part of the “front lines” of purebred dogs, AKC relies on its loyal breeders to communicate the benefits and importance of AKC registration to their puppy buyers. To ensure a strong future for you, your fellow breeders, and all purebred dogs, AKC needs all of its breeders to make a concerted effort to ensure that every puppy in each litter you have bred gets registered with the AKC. AKC has implemented a new initiative to help you accomplish this goal.

The AKC has begun sending all breeders who register a litter an email asking them to provide us with their new puppy buyers’ contact information. The email includes information on our new Online Litter Record Service. This service allows breeders to supply AKC with new puppy buyer contact information in an easy-to-use online format. If the breeder does not want to use the new online service, a link to a printable version of the litter record is also available.

The new puppy buyers will then receive an e-mail or letter from AKC detailing the benefits and importance of AKC registration. The new puppy buyers will only be contacted by AKC. Their names will not be sold or used for any other promotions or marketing when given through this initiative. As you have experienced, puppy buyers tend to be more concerned about caring for their new puppy at the time of purchase, and often forget about one of the most important steps of responsible dog ownership – AKC registration. Our goal is to reinforce their decision of purchasing an AKC puppy and to educate them on the many benefits that they can receive with registration.

AKC is dedicated to promoting responsible dog ownership and educating new puppy buyers about registration benefits and the important programs that every registration supports. Registration dollars help AKC fund important educational programs, support the research of health issues through donations, and continue to subsidize AKC events. Our registration numbers also help us to maintain legislative influence and ensure that like-minded organizations continue to support the AKC through alternative revenue programs and sponsorships.

With your support, and by working together, AKC will be able to take the necessary steps to ensure its long and healthy future as the nation’s preeminent purebred dog registry. For more information or to use the new Online Litter Record Service, please click here. Please note this service can be used for recent or past litters.

H$U$ Does Little to Help Homeless Dogs and Cats