What's happening
This bill requires the state to license and set educational standards for individuals providing obedience training for pet dogs.
Why it matters
Establishes accountability for dog trainers. By requiring licensure and educational standards, the bill aims to ensure that individuals offering obedience training have a verified baseline of knowledge and competency, which could improve the quality and safety of dog training services.
Prevents individuals with animal cruelty convictions from working as trainers. The bill specifically bans those convicted of certain animal cruelty offenses from obtaining a license, helping protect animals from potential harm and elevating professional standards in the industry.
Aligns trainers with broader animal welfare laws. Licensed trainers would be required to maintain their practices and facilities in accordance with existing animal control and cruelty prevention laws, making them subject to inspection and enforcement by various animal welfare officers and organizations.
Excludes service and police dog trainers. The law deliberately carves out exceptions for those working with dogs in specialized roles (like service or police dogs), focusing its requirements strictly on trainers for household pets, suggesting a tailored approach to regulation.
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Who cares
Dog obedience trainers
Individuals offering basic obedience courses to non-service and non-police dogs and their owners would face licensing and educational standards, with specified convictions barring licensure.
Dog owners seeking obedience training
The bill would require the commissioner to set licensing and educational standards for trainers providing covered courses to dogs and their owners.
Department of Agriculture and Markets
The commissioner would be required to establish the licensing and educational standards through rules or regulations.
Animal control officers and SPCA enforcement agents
They would be among those authorized to enforce specified animal control provisions governing licensed trainers’ practices and facilities.
Headline styles
License Dog Trainers
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Referred to agriculture
- Referred to agriculture
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
License Dog Trainers
In Senate Committee · Domestic Animal Welfare · Sponsor Todd Kaminsky
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1880
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 17, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. ZEBROWSKI, M. L. MILLER -- read once and referred to the Committee on Agriculture
AN ACT to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to requiring the commissioner of agriculture and markets to establish licensing and educational standards for individuals providing canine training for non-service and non-police dogs
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The agriculture and markets law is amended by adding a new section 113-a to read as follows:
§ 113-a. Obedience training. 1. The commissioner shall by rule or regulation establish licensing and educational standards for individuals providing basic obedience courses to non-service and non-police dogs and their owners.
2. This section shall not apply to any dog that falls under subdivision nine, eighteen, twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-five, twenty-six or twenty-seven of section one hundred eight of this article.
3. No person who is convicted of a violation of section three hundred fifty-one, three hundred fifty-three, three hundred fifty-three-a or three hundred fifty-five of article twenty-six of this chapter may be licensed to provide obedience training services under this section.
4. Licensees under this section are to maintain practices and facilities in accordance with animal control provisions under articles seven, twenty-five-b and twenty-six of this chapter and are subject to the enforcement of such provisions, by any constable, police officer, peace officer, dog control officer, animal control officer, or any officer or agent of any duly incorporated society for the prevention of cruelty to animals as authorized under this chapter.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01443-01-9
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.