From AKC:
New York State Information Alert
December 17, 2010
Currently the New York State Department
of Agriculture & Markets handles
dog licensing for most municipalities in the state. In the 2010 budget
passed by
the New York Legislature, this responsibility was handed over
to local municipalities, effective January 1, 2011.
The
American Kennel Club encourages all dog owners to know, understand,
and follow the laws of their jurisdictions. In response
to this new
licensing structure, we strongly suggest that dog owners in the state of
New York should closely monitor
new ordinances and regulations proposed
by their county and city governments that will determine local licensing
fees,
requirements and changes to animal control policies.
Certain provisions that exist under current New York state law
may or
may not be adopted by local governments. For example, the current state
law provides the option of a purebred
license, wherein the owner of one
or more purebred dogs registered by a recognized registry association
may annually
make application for a purebred license in lieu of
individual dog licenses. The provision for purebred licenses will become
optional
for local governments on January 1, 2011.
One example of the impact of these changes is the city of Lackawanna,
which
has already informed its residents that it will be offering only
single dog licenses, thereby forcing all dog owners to
comply with its
two-dog limit passed in July 2006.
AKC GR encourages all New York dog owners to be more vigilant
than ever
in monitoring dog-related ordinances in their communities and to work
proactively to ensure that laws impacting
dog ownership and breeding are
reasonable, enforceable and non-discriminatory.
Advocacy works best when those who
are directly affected by legislation
take the lead in working with policymakers. AKC's Government
Relations
is pleased
to work with dog owners in communities facing problematic
canine legislation. Please see the resources listed below and
let us
know if you need assistance in addressing changes to dog laws in your
community.
For more information,
please contact the AKC Government Relations
Department at (919) 816-3720 or
doglaw@akc.org mailto:doglaw@akc.org
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