Sponsors (22)
The bill raises minimum welfare and care standards for dogs—benefiting animal health and reducing disease risk—while imposing additional compliance costs on dealers and small facilities.
Dealers, research facilities, and exhibitors must provide dogs with minimum space, exercise, socialization, and veterinary care, improving animal welfare and reducing risk of disease spread.
Dealers and small-business owners will face higher operating costs to comply with required facility upgrades, fencing, additional staffing, and increased veterinary services.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Adds specific minimum housing, exercise, socialization, feeding, temperature, and veterinary-care standards for dogs in dealers, exhibitors, and research facilities under the Animal Welfare Act.
Official title: Amend the Animal Welfare Act to establish additional requirements for dealers, and for other purposes.
Introduced April 29, 2026 by Richard Joseph Durbin · Last progress April 29, 2026
Requires new minimum humane-handling, care, housing, exercise, socialization, and veterinary standards for dogs held by dealers, exhibitors, and research facilities under the Animal Welfare Act. Sets specific floor-space, flooring, ceiling height, temperature, feeding, water, exercise, socialization, and veterinary care rules and allows veterinarian-certified alternatives in narrow situations. Applies these standards by adding a requirement that the Secretary’s dealer standards include these minimums and prescribing exercise, daily socialization, and veterinary care requirements for dogs older than specified ages, plus vaccination and parasite-prevention expectations. The bill affects kennels, dealers, exhibitors, research facilities, and the USDA’s implementation and enforcement duties; it does not appropriate funds or change taxes.