FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
Contact: Daisy Okas
Date: June 13,
2007
Phone: 212-696-8343
AKC DELEGATE BODY PASSES
RESOLUTION OPPOSING CA AB 1634
New York, NY –A resolution
proposed by the American Kennel Club® Board of Directors opposing
California Assembly Bill 1634 was unanimously adopted by the AKC® Delegate
Body at its quarterly meeting, held Monday, June 11, 2007, in Las Vegas.
The bill would require all dogs and cats over the age of four months to be
spayed or neutered unless the owners qualify for and obtain an intact animal
permit. The AKC Delegates, who represent 599 member clubs out of the nearly
5,000 AKC affiliated clubs nationwide (more than 460 of them in California),
issued the following resolution on Monday in response to proposed Assembly Bill
1634:
“Be it resolved that the
Delegates of the American Kennel Club declare that the enactment of AB1634 in
the State of California would 1) be detrimental to the sport of purebred dogs;
2) fail to achieve the humane results it purports to espouse; and 3) cost the
State of California and its communities tens of millions of dollars in
lost revenues.
Be it further resolved that
the Delegates of the American Kennel Club urge the Governor, the Senate and the
Assembly of the State of California to defeat
AB1634.”
“This resolution represents
our steadfast opposition to this bill and any others which unfairly target the
responsible breeders that make up our constituency,” said AKC President and CEO
Dennis Sprung. “We are deeply concerned about the problems irresponsible dog
owners, irresponsible breeding, and inadequate animal control can cause a
community; however, mandatory spaying and neutering has proven to be an
ineffective solution because it fails to address the heart of the
issue—irresponsible ownership. The AKC and its clubs support non-discriminatory,
fair, effective and enforceable legislation that addresses the pertinent animal
issues in the community. “
###
The American Kennel Club,
founded in 1884, is a not-for-profit organization which maintains the largest
registry of purebred dogs in the world and oversees the sport of purebred dogs
in the United
States. The AKC is dedicated to upholding the
integrity of its registry, promoting the sport of purebred dogs and breeding for
type and function. Along with its nearly 5,000 licensed and member clubs
and its affiliated organizations, the AKC advocates for the purebred dog as a
family companion, advances canine health and well-being, works to protect the
rights of all dog owners and promotes responsible dog ownership. More than
20,000 competitions for AKC-registered purebred dogs are held under AKC rules
and regulations each year including conformation, agility, obedience, rally,
tracking, herding, lure coursing, coonhound events, hunt tests, field and
earthdog tests. Affiliate AKC organizations include the AKC Canine Health
Foundation, AKC Companion Animal Recovery and the laceName w:st="on">AKClaceName> laceType
w:st="on">MuseumlaceType> of the Dog. For more
information, visit www.akc.org.
AKC, American Kennel Club,
the American Kennel Club seal and design, and all associated marks and logos are
trademarks, registered trademarks and service marks of The American Kennel Club,
Inc.