Join With the AKC to Protect Responsible Small Breeders

Jorge receives 2 month old Natasha Rose at the hotel 

Were these same proposed regulations in effect in the USA, I would have had to make different arrangements with the breeder when I received Samson, my Maltese and internationally, when we received Natasha Rose.

The breeder from whom I purchased Sammy lives in West Virginia, while I lived in Northern Virginia. A friend of hers and frequent purchaser (the woman owned three dogs from her kennel) offered to help the owner out by bringing down Sammy and his brothers and sisters to be sold from her home, which was only a few minutes away rather than a full day's drive. I had been in constant and frequent contact with the breeder, had seen the puppies now adult dogs from the kennel.  With the proposed regs in place the breeder would now have to be classified as a retail store,  or I would have to go all the way to West Virginia to pick up the puppy there.

And while this is a USA regulation, we faced the same situation with Natasha Rose when we met with the breeder in Buenas Aires, Argentina along with his entire family (pregnant wife and three children). But because we met at a location convenient for us (a hotel) and not at the breeders home were we in the USA he would then be obligated to be classified as a retail breeder, or we would have had to extend our time in Argentina longer to make the trip up north to his home.




Reposted from the American Kennel Club:

The American Kennel Club has created the Join With the AKC to Protect Responsible Small Breeders petition in response to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) new proposed regulations which would create harsh and unintended consequences for responsible small and hobby breeders in this country.

Please join us by signing the Join With the AKC to Protect Responsible Small Breeders petition before July 16 when the public comment period to the Animal Care Division of the USDA’s Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service ends. The petition, along with AKC’s comments on the proposed rule change, will be sent to the USDA.

Join With the AKC to Protect Responsible Small Breeders — Petition

We join with the American Kennel Club to express our concerns about the harsh and unintended consequences that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s proposed regulations (RIN 0579-AD57) to redefine “retail pet store” would have on responsible small and hobby breeders.  Currently, responsible small and hobby breeders across this country provide Americans with healthy, well-socialized, loving family companions.


Under the proposed regulations, breeders or others who sell a puppy sight unseen, by any means including online, by mail or by telephone, would now be regulated in accordance with USDA standards, if you own more than four "breeding females" of any of the listed species, including dogs and cats. The effect of these proposed regulations would be to take away the public’s opportunity to obtain puppies from those breeders, who in many cases have dedicated their lives to breeding for health, breed type and temperament.


As the leader and expert in breeding and maintaining dogs for more than a century, the AKC supports responsible breeders and dog owners through its educational and inspections programs. As the only purebred dog registry with a care and conditions of dogs policy – which we have recently enhanced to create a comprehensive policy for the welfare of all dogs – more than 55,000 inspections have been conducted since 2000. We know through experience that regardless of the number of dogs owned or the manner in which breeders interact with potential puppy buyers, a “one size fits all” breeder regulation is unfair and unenforceable.


We sign this petition in order to alert the USDA that a “one size fits all breeders” type of regulation is not in the best interest of dogs and/or consumers in this country. We stand in support of the AKC’s comments to the USDA in opposition to the proposed regulations as written.  In so doing, we demonstrate our commitment to the continued breeding of dogs by responsible small and hobby breeders throughout this country.