**** Upcoming Hearing ****
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
The Senate Executive Departments and Administration Committee will hold a hearing on HB 661 – relative to record keeping for sold or transferred animals and making certain technical corrections to the law governing the sale or transfer of animals.
- When: 9:30 a.m. Where: Room 101, the Legislative Office Building.
- Letters should be sent to the committee staff, Deb Chroniak.
HB 661 – relative to record keeping for sold or transferred animals and making certain technical corrections to the law governing the sale or transfer of animals.
DOGS POSITION: Support
HB 661 was retained by the House Executive Departments and Administration Committee last year. Over the summer, a sub-committee worked on the bill with the input of all the interested parties including the shelters. From the House Calendar:
“Over the summer, a subcommittee worked on the bill and got agreement by all interested parties that NH would use a standard grid sheet for reporting as is used in many other states. The amendment adds this to the law and also places the responsibility for the custody and storage of reports submitted to the state with the Department of Agriculture, Markets and Food as part of the license renewal process.”
The reporting requirement will be similar to the requirements in other states. You can see Maine’s results here. In 2015, stray dogs made up 31% of the Maine shelter population, owner surrendered dogs were 26% and dogs transferred into the shelters from elsewhere were 43%.
Action required: If you can’t attend the hearing, please email a letter of support for HB661 to the Senate Executive Department and Administration staff Deb Chroniak asking her to share it with the senators.
Update on Recent Bills
SB415 – relative to the standard of care for dogs outside.
DOGS would like to thank the members of the mushing community who came to the hearing to support our position. Their testimony was eloquent and informative and it was obvious how much they value their dogs. The hearing was a long one. This bill was introduced at the request of constituents who were unable to get satisfaction on their complaint about a dog who was kept outside. Those who testified against the bill included the Commissioner of Agriculture, members of the NH Mushers Association and members of DOGS. The senators seemed active and engaged, asking questions about hydration versus requiring access to water. We explained the possible medical reasons for withholding water and the problems with attempting to set standards based solely on breeds.
