The House Environment and Agriculture Committee will continue the hearing on SB 569 – relative to animal cruelty and establishing a commission to study certain language applicable to the transfer of animals on 04/11/2018 at 9:00 AM Legislative Office Building Room 201-203.
Please try and attend. Even if you can’t stay for the whole hearing, you can still sign in as opposed.
Report on the April 4th hearing –
The hearing on the 4th went from 10 am until 3 with a break for lunch. Many thanks to all the dog breeders and owners who came into testify against the bill. They did a great job of bringing up their concerns with the bill. The NH Farm Bureau testified against SB569 while the the NH Veterinary Medical Association said: “While Senate Bill 569 is well intentioned, its new regulations won’t protect animals from harm and doesn’t stop people from hoarding pets. Expanding the definition of commercial breeder and mandating more inspections of pet vendors by the Department of Agriculture will not stop individuals who are already breaking existing statues,” http://nhpr.org/post/concerns-raised-over-dog-breeding-bill-drafted-after-wolfeboro-animal-cruelty-case
The people who testified in opposition had many reasons for their concerns. The vagueness of the wording of the definition of breeding female, allowing a member of the general public to inspect a licensees records, the difficulty the average dog breeder, who is not doing it as a business, would have in meeting the requirements of Ag. rules 1700, to the unfairness of the cost of care bond which the average person would not be able to afford so they would lose their animals even if they were found innocent in the criminal trial.
Unfortunately, not everyone was able to testify, so the hearing will be continued on Wednesday, April 11th starting at 9:00 am in room 201-2013 of the Legislative Office building. I know it is hard to come because many people have to work, but please try to stop in to sign in opposed SB 569. And keep making those calls, and sending those letters and emails to the members of the committee. As always be polite and remember your purpose is educate the reps that, although SB569 might sound good, it will have real life consequences for animal owners.
One person even included a pop quiz for the committee – pictures of 6 dogs asking if they could identify the ones who were intact.
April 11 – Continued Hearing on SB569
