Phil M. Guidry, J.D.
Director, Policy Analysis
Government Relations
Tuesday, January 26, 2021
North Dakota House Industry, Business and Labor Committee
State Capitol
600 East Boulevard
Bismarck, North Dakota 58505-0360
RE: AKC Supports HB 1175
Chairman Lefor and Members of the House Industry, Business and Labor Committee:
The American Kennel Club (AKC) writes on behalf of our nine AKC dog clubs and the thousands of
responsible dog owners in North Dakota to express support of House Bill 1175, which you are scheduled to
consider on Wednesday, January 27, 2021.
As you may know, the American Kennel Club was founded in 1884 and is the world’s largest purebred dog
registry and the only not-for-profit purebred dog registry devoted to the health and wellbeing of all dogs.
The AKC, along with our North Dakota local dog clubs, all of which are non-profit organizations, are
dedicated to promoting responsible dog ownership and breeding throughout the state, including hosting dog
events such as breed conformation shows, field trials, obedience trials, and other performance events that
focus on a dog’s ability to perform jobs for which its breed was originally developed. In 2019, the AKC
licensed and sanctioned 76 events in North Dakota, in which more than 7,700 dogs participated.
Last year, in an effort to ensure the safety of exhibitors and animals, the American Kennel Club provided our
local clubs with extensive procedures to be used in conjunction with U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
state guidelines to follow when hosting events and shows. The ability for local clubs to host events is
crucial, as they generally rely on competitor entry fees as their primary source of revenue. However, due to
both gathering restrictions that were imposed in 2020 and concerns that a competitor or volunteer’s exposure
to COVID-19 may leave them financially responsible for such exposure, local non-profit dog clubs were
unable to host events throughout much of last year. Without conducting events to earn revenue and without
reasonable protections from liability exposure, many clubs are facing uncertain, even existential, futures
because of COVID-19. The AKC believes HB 1175 represents a reasonable step that would help address
these concerns and free organizations from unreasonable liability exposure while not protecting malicious
actions or those intended to cause harm. For these reasons, we support HB 1175 and encourage its passage.
Thank you for your time and consideration. I would be pleased to further discuss our position with you at
your convenience. I can be reached at 919-816-3503 or phil.guidry@akc.org.
Sincerely,
Phil M. Guidry, J.D.
Director, Policy Analysis