The Connecticut Joint Government Administration and Elections Committee has scheduled a Friday, March 25, 2022, public hearing for HB 5498. The bill seeks to designate a variety of days, weeks, and months, for proclamations, including naming the shelter pet as Connecticut’s “state pet”.
Acquiring a companion animal can be a rewarding process. A number of sources to acquire a pet are available, and people should do so in a manner they believe is appropriate for their needs.
HB 5498 proposes a “method of acquiring” a pet to be labeled as Connecticut’s state pet. While the American Kennel Club (AKC) respects governmental animal shelters, ethical non-profit pet rescue organizations, and AKC’s all-volunteer purebred dog rescue network’s work to rehome abandoned, relinquished, and stray dogs—and the impressive reduction in shelter dogs in Connecticut that has resulted—a mode of pet acquisition is not the best criteria for choosing a state pet.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
- Anyone wishing to speak regarding HB 5498 at the Committee’s public Zoom hearing, which is scheduled to start at 10AM on Friday, March 25, 2022, must complete this form before Thursday, March 24 at 6PM.
- Interested residents are encouraged to email written testimony in MS Word or PDF format to the Committee members directly at GAETestimony@cga.ct.gov. Please include the bill number, HB 5498, in the subject line and specify your position on the bill’s shelter pet provision, and include your name in the body of your email.
AKC Government Relations (AKC GR) will provide additional information as developments warrant. For more information, contact AKC GR at doglaw@akc.org.