What's happening
This bill requires the New York commissioner of agriculture and markets to set licensing and educational standards for individuals providing obedience training to non-service, non-police dogs.
Why it matters
Improves consumer protection and dog welfare. by ensuring that only individuals who meet set educational and licensing standards can offer obedience training, reducing the risk of harm to dogs from unqualified trainers.
Excludes individuals with animal cruelty convictions. from becoming licensed trainers, which helps prevent those with a history of animal abuse from working with dogs in a professional capacity.
Aligns training facilities and practices with existing animal control laws. , making trainers and their locations subject to oversight and enforcement by animal control officers and animal welfare organizations, which may improve overall standards in the industry.
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Who cares
Headline styles
License Dog Trainers
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to domestic animal welfare
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 Assembly Committee · Agriculture · Sponsor Kenneth Zebrowski
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
7066
IN SENATE (Prefiled)
January 8, 2020
Introduced by Sen. KAMINSKY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Domestic Animal Welfare
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.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to requir- ing the commissioner of agriculture and markets to establish licensing and educational standards for individuals providing canine training for non-service and non-police dogs
Purpose of the bill
To license entities who provide training to domestic companion dogs in New York State.
Summary of provisions
Section one of the bill amends the agriculture and markets law by adding a new section 113-a as it relates to empowering the department of agri- culture and markets to establish a license for individuals provide basic obedience courses.
Section two of the bill relates to the effective date.
Justification
New York currently has no provisions in law to require the licensing and regulation of businesses that provide dog obedience training. This leaves pet owners, as consumers of these services, with little or no information about the legitimacy of any person or entity that chooses to call themselves a dog training expert.
In December of 2016, an Oceanside, New York dog training facility was the focus of an investigation after several claims of animal abuse. An employee of the facility was videotaped repeatedly poking a stick at a caged dog. Other reports of dogs, including young puppies, being wound- ed, beaten and mistreated at the same "school" are also being investi- gated. The owner of the school, in a written communication to a local newspaper, defended his actions by asking "Why is it abuse to hit a dog?"
In the absence of any professional standards, unscrupulous individuals can mislead unsuspecting dog owners, resulting in a lack of any real training, or worse, permanent damage and/or abuse of the animal. This bill will ensure that streamlined, consistent licensing practices are put into place, while denying licensing to anyone previously convicted of abusing an animal.
In addition to police officers, constables and peace officers, the bill also allows for enforcement by professionals who specialize in detecting animal abuse, including animal control officers, and officers and agents of an incorporated society for the prevention of cruelty to animals (SPCA).
Prior legislative history
2018: 5144 died in Senate Agriculture Committee. 2017: S144 died in Senate Agriculture Committee.
Fiscal implications for state
To be determined.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.