Massachusetts Dog Owners Please Take Action

 Please write your State Reps and ask that this bill not be put forward. 

 

 

Date of Article: September 11, 2008

In a stunning procedural move, Massachusetts House Bill 1948, which was a reasonable and non-discriminatory dangerous dog bill supported by both the AKC and the Massachusetts Federation of Dog Clubs, has been replaced by House Bill 5092, a conglomeration of many anti-dog, anti-responsible breeder, and anti-responsible owner proposals. The American Kennel Club is not only deeply concerned with the many unacceptable provisions of the bill, but is also disturbed by the procedural maneuver used to deny the concerned dog-owning citizens of Massachusetts an opportunity to state their objections to the egregious bill in a committee hearing format.
Representative Brad Hill sponsored HB 1948, the pragmatic dangerous dog bill, this legislative session. That bill was assigned to the Joint Municipalities Committee, which subsequently sent to it to "study". That action usually indicates that the bill will not be considered for the remainder of the session. However, on July 28th, part of the bill was recommitted to the Joint Municipalities Committee, which then produced HB 5092. Among the many problematic provisions to HB 5092, the most egregious include:

• Imposing mandatory spay/neuter of all dogs over 12 months of age; or in the alternative, owners will have to qualify for and annually purchase an intact animal permit at a cost of up to $500 per dog.
  
• Limiting the number of reproductive events per female dog to one litter per year, with few exceptions.
  
• Requiring the reporting of all sales of puppies to local jurisdictions.
  
• Eliminating the practice of humane tethering, without allowances for hunting or sled dogs.
  
• Allowing towns and cities to impose breed-specific ordinances.
  
• Instituting state-mandated vaccination schedules, instead of allowing vaccination schedules to be provided by, and in consultation with, a veterinarian.
  
• Establishing unreasonable nuisance laws that can result in the forced sterilization, banishment, or euthanization of dogs.

For a copy of HB 5092, click here.
Legislative staff in Massachusetts has confirmed with the Massachusetts Federation that the House Steering, Policy, and Scheduling Committee currently has cognizance of the bill. This committee does not consider the policy of pending legislation. Instead, it acts as a manager of legislation, determining which bills will be sent to the full House for its consideration, and the timing thereof. Effectively, this means that at any time the House Steering, Policy, and Scheduling Committee will send HB 5092 to the full House for its consideration and vote, effectively denying Massachusetts citizens the opportunity to participate in the legislative process by stating their objections to the bill in a policy committee hearing!
 
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
It is imperative that Massachusetts residents contact the members of the Steering, Policy, and Scheduling Committee, and implore them to not send HB 5092 to the floor for a vote. Instead, encourage them to return the bill to study, or in the alternative back to the Joint Municipalities Committee for consideration and public comment on the policies contained in HB 5092.
Members of Massachusetts House Steering, Policy, and Scheduling Committee
Representative Paul J. Donato
RM. 185
State House
Boston, MA 02133
PHONE: 617-722-2960
FAX: 617-722-2713
Rep.PaulDonato@hou.state.ma.us
Representative Joyce A. Spiliotis
RM. 236
State House
Boston, MA 02133
PHONE: 617-722-2430
Rep.JoyceSpiliotis@hou.state.ma.us
Representative Paul C. Casey
RM. 238
State House
Boston, MA 02133
PHONE: 617-722-2380
Rep.PaulCasey@hou.state.ma.us
Representative James B. Eldridge
RM. 33
State House
Boston, MA 02133
PHONE: 617-722-2060
Rep.JamesEldridge@hou.state.ma.us
Representative Alice Hanlon Peisch
RM. 167
State House
Boston, MA 02133
PHONE: 617-722-2230
Rep.AlicePeisch@hou.state.ma.us
Representative Denis E. Guyer
RM. 443
State House
Boston, MA 02133
PHONE: 617-722-2460
Rep.DenisGuyer@hou.state.ma.us
Representative Tom Sannicandro
RM. 473F
State House
Boston, MA 02133
PHONE: 617-722-2210
FAX: 508-626-0692
Rep.TomSannicandro@hou.state.ma.us
Representative James T. Welch
RM. 43
State House
Boston, MA 02133
PHONE: 617-722-2030
Rep.JamesWelch@hou.state.ma.us
Representative Lori A. Ehrlich
RM. 540
State House
Boston, MA 02133
PHONE: 617-722-2090
Rep.LoriEhrlich@hou.state.ma.us
Representative Bradford Hill
RM. 542
State House
Boston, MA 02133
PHONE: 617-722-2489
Rep.BradHill@hou.state.ma.us
Representative Elizabeth A. Poirier
RM. 542
State House
Boston, MA 02133
PHONE: 617-722-2976
FAX: 617-626-0108
Rep.ElizabethPoirier@hou.state.ma.us
Massachusetts residents are also encouraged to contact their own state representative and express their vehement opposition to egregious provisions of HB 5092, and urge them to do the same. (Massachusetts residents can find out who their state representative is by clicking here.)
For more information, contact AKC's Government Relations Department at (919) 816-3720, or e-mail doglaw@akc.org.