[RDOWS]

Despite having been filled with challenges, 2007 has proven to be a year of success for the Canine Legislation department. Countless numbers of fanciers, concerned dog owners, Legislative Liaisons, federation members, and policy makers across the country worked with the department to achieve mutual goals. Specifically, in 2007, the Canine Legislation department:

• Tracked nearly 400 state bills relating to canine ownership.
• Assisted local dog owners in participating in over 200 local initiatives.
• Responded to over 4,000 e-mail inquiries to doglaw@akc.org.
• Posted more than 40 legislative alerts to akc.org.
• Launched a State Level Lobby Day program with two events held in Sacramento, California.
• Cosponsored “Pet Night” on Capitol Hill for Members of Congress.
• Networked with nearly 12,000 legislators at the National Conference of State Legislators and the American Legislative Exchange Council meeting.
• Hosted Legislative Empowerment Seminars in Durham, NC; Raleigh, NC; Baltimore (Timonium), MD; Houston, TX; Somerset, NJ; Canfield, OH; Ashville, NC; Wichita, KS and Columbus, OH.
• Partnered with the AKC Canine Health Foundation to present legislative awareness information at breeders symposiums in St. Paul, MN; Springfield, MO; Dallas, TX; and St. Louis, MO.
• Added 318 new Legislative Liaisons to the program.

2007 was also a year of change for the Canine Legislation department. First, the department staff grew with the addition of a legislative analyst position, which now provides us with additional legal expertise necessary to respond to legislative proposals. Second, the AKC Canine Legislation Support Fund was created to allow clubs and individuals to make donations to support our legislative efforts. This now enhances the department’s ability to send staff across the country to meet with lawmakers and constituents, as well as to hire consultants and lobbyists at the state level. Third, the creation of the AKC Political Action Committee adds another weapon to our arsenal by allowing us, through donations by PAC members, to make political contributions to elected officials and candidates for public office.

We look forward to what will most certainly be a dynamic new year, with every confidence that our advocacy for the rights of responsible dog owners and pragmatic, reasonable, and enforceable legislation and public policy will result in a highly successful 2008.