.. Arkansas Look out the dog crap for HOBBY BREEDERS is coming again. une 21, 2013 Dear Legislative Liaisons, Delegates, Judges, AKC Club Members, Sportsmen, and Concerned Dog Owners in Arkansas, Approximately one year ago, the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) proposed a change to federal regulations (APHIS Retail Pet Store Rule – Docket No. APHIS-2011-003; RIN 0579-AD57). Despite its misleading title, this proposed rule could devastate the future of responsible small/hobby dog breeders. Last year, we asked you to comment on the proposed rule and sign a petition to support responsible small/hobby breeders. Many of you responded to our petition, and many others wrote to the USDA asking them to withdraw the proposed rule. Thank you for your support. Today, we are asking for your help again. Recently, APHIS concluded a review of comments on the measure and forwarded a finalized version of the proposed rule for approval by the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB)/Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA). This means that despite our requests, the proposal to expand federal regulation of small/hobby breeders remains active and could be placed into law within the next several months. AKC and our federal representatives are working hard to ensure that the concerns of responsible breeders are recognized, but we need your help too. Please help us defend the future of responsible, small/hobby dog breeders. Your U.S. Senator, Sen. Mark Pryor of Arkansas, fulfills the important role of Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA, and Related Agencies. This committee oversees funding for APHIS. Residents of Arkansas are encouraged to immediately call, email or write Senator Pryor to express concerns about the proposed APHIS Retail Pet Store Rule. Respectfully ask Senator Pryor to share these concerns with the USDA/APHIS and with the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB)/Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA). Why is this important? The proposed APHIS Retail Pet Store Rule – Docket No. APHIS-2011-003; RIN 0579-AD57 would: Hurt responsible home-based hobby breeders Threaten the future of purebred dogs—and especially rare breeds—in the U.S. Do nothing to improve the welfare of dogs The proposed rule would classify anyone who maintains more than four breeding females and sells one pet sight unseen as a “commercial breeder.” Commercial breeders are subject to strict federal licensing, regulation, facility requirements, and inspections that were designed for large commercial/wholesale pet breeding operations and are not appropriate for hobbyists or small-scale breeders who keep dogs in their homes. “Sight unseen” would include any situation where the current and future owners are not physically present to complete a transaction. It would include the transfer of a “puppy back” on a stud arrangement, the transfer of a puppy to a well-known friend or family member by air, and many transfers of foster/rescue animals where current and future owners may not be physically present for the exchange transaction. AKC believes this unfairly targets small/hobby breeders while ignoring the problems associated with flea-market or roadside sales. The term “breeding female” is not defined in the proposed rule, meaning that it would be difficult to know whether you were technically subject to these regulations. The proposed rule includes multiple species – not just dogs. Therefore, if you own five “breeding females” of any combination of the included species (dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters, etc.) and you transfers one pet “sight unseen,” you would be classified as a “commercial breeder.” USDA commercial breeder regulations and building engineering requirements were not intended or designed for small-scale breeders. It would be difficult and costly for responsible hobby breeders who keep dogs in their homes to comply with regulations that were written for large commercial operations that produce and ship large numbers of animals. Further, most zoning codes prohibit commercial kennels. Arkansas residents – please take a moment today to call, email, or write to Senator Pryor and express your concerns. Sample messages are provided below. You can call and give your message to one of the Senator’s staff members, and be sure to leave a voice mail message if you call after hours. Contact Senator Pryor in Washington, DC: Send an email message using a convenient online form by clicking here: pryor.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=ContactForm Call, write, or fax: Senator Mark Pryor 255 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Phone: (202) 224-2353 Fax: (202) 228-0908 Contact Senator Pryor’s Arkansas State Office: Senator Mark Pryor The River Market 500 Clinton Avenue, Suite 401 Little Rock, AR 72201 Phone: (501) 324-6336 Fax: (501) 324-5320 Phone toll free from Arkansas: (877) 259-9602 Sample Phone Message #1: Hello, my name is ______________ and I live in _______________. I am calling to let Senator Pryor know that I oppose the proposed APHIS Retail Pet Store Rule, currently being reviewed by the OMB. It is not in the best interest of dogs to enact rules that would require responsible small/hobby breeders to move their dogs out of their homes and into concrete and wire kennels. I ask Senator Pryor to share these concerns with the USDA/APHIS and the White House Office of Management and Budget. Thank you for your time. Sample Phone Message #2: Hello, my name is ______________ and I live in _______________. I am calling to ask Senator Pryor to protect responsible dog breeders who would be harmed by the proposed APHIS Retail Pet Store Rule. USDA commercial breeder regulations were not designed for home-based hobby breeders and should not be expanded to include them. I ask Senator Pryor share these concerns with the USDA/APHIS and the White House Office of Management and Budget. Thank you for your time. Sample Phone Message #3: Hello, my name is ______________ and I live in _______________. I am calling to let Senator Pryor know that I oppose the proposed APHIS Retail Pet Store Rule, currently under review by OMB. As a responsible dog owner, I believe this type of regulation is unnecessary and expensive for home-based hobby breeders and for taxpayers. I ask Senator Pryor to share these concerns with the USDA/APHIS and the White House Office of Management and Budget. Thank you for your time. Sample Phone Message #4: Hello, my name is ______________ and I live in _______________. I am calling to let Senator Pryor know that I oppose the proposed APHIS Retail Pet Store Rule. I suggest that resources should be used to increase inspections of large commercial breeding kennels rather than expanding USDA oversight into the homes of hobby breeders. I ask Senator Pryor to share these concerns with the USDA/APHIS and the White House Office of Management and Budget. Thank you for your time. Please personalize, remove the blank lines, and remove the italicized text in all letters and email messages before sending. Sample Letter or Email Message #1: ___________date The Honorable Mark Pryor 255 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 RE: Oppose proposed APHIS Retail Pet Store Rule - Docket No. APHIS-2011-003; RIN 0579 Dear Senator Pryor, As your constituent and a responsible dog owner, I am writing to express my concerns with the proposed APHIS Retail Pet Store Rule. This rule would hurt sportsmen and home-based hobby breeders who own just a few dogs and occasionally breed a litter. I respectfully ask you to express my concerns to the USDA/ APHIS and the White House Office of Management and Budget/Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OMB/OIRA). The proposed rule would vastly expand the number of dog owners who must be regulated and inspected by USDA/APHIS. It would make small-scale hobby breeders subject to the kennel engineering requirements for laboratories and commercial kennels that produce and ship large quantities of animals. These facility requirements and regulations are not compatible with the home-based settings that many of us use for hand-raising and socializing an occasional litter of puppies. It is not in the best interest of my dogs—or of any dogs that are lovingly and carefully raised—to enact rules that could require responsible breeders to move their dogs out of home settings and onto concrete and wire. It is also not a good use of limited government funds to expand oversight designed for commercial breeders into the homes of hobby breeders. Sincerely, ________________name and address Sample Letter or Email Message #2: ___________date The Honorable Mark Pryor 255 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 RE: Oppose proposed APHIS Retail Pet Store Rule - Docket No. APHIS-2011-003; RIN 0579 Dear Senator Pryor, I am a responsible dog owner and I am writing express my concerns with the proposed APHIS Retail Pet Store Rule. I believe that all dogs deserve humane and loving conditions; however, this proposed rule would be burdensome to responsible hobby breeders and to taxpayers. I respectfully ask you to express my concerns to the USDA/APHIS and to the White House Office of Management and Budget/Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OMB/OIRA). Personalize here – tell about yourself as a dog owner, breeder or exhibitor. How many years have you been involved with dogs? Are you a member of a dog club or organization that contributes to your community? If you are a breeder, what steps do you take to ensure that your dogs and puppies are healthy and happy? How do you work with puppy purchasers to help them be responsible dog owners? Do you encourage training, CGC, and other activities? How would the proposed rule affect your ability to responsibly breed dogs? Instead of enacting unnecessary, costly, and ineffective new rules, our government should improve enforcement of current laws and regulations. Please support responsible dog owners, breeders, and taxpayers in Arkansas by opposing this rule. Sincerely, ________________name and address
Posted on: Fri, 21 Jun 2013 21:58:23 +0000
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