Canine Legislation Position Statement

“DANGEROUS DOG” CONTROL LEGISLATION

     The American Kennel Club supports reasonable, enforceable, non-discriminatory laws to govern
the ownership of dogs. The AKC® believes that dog owners should be responsible for their dogs.
We support laws that: establish a fair process by which specific dogs are identified as “dangerous”

based on stated, measurable actions; impose appropriate penalties on irresponsible owners; and

establish a well-defined method for dealing with dogs proven to be dangerous.

     We believe that, if necessary, dogs proven to be “dangerous” may need to be humanely destroyed.
The American Kennel Club strongly opposes any legislation that determines a dog to be “dangerous”

based on specific breeds or phenotypic classes of dogs.

AKC is a registered trademark of the American Kennel Club, Inc.
5580 Centerview Drive Raleigh, NC 27606 Tel 919 816-3720 Fax 919 816-4275 www.akc.org