Pennsylvania Farm Bureau Opposes House Bill 1816

Feb. 24, 2026

Good morning. Pennsylvania Farm Bureau is pleased to offer remarks today on House Bill 1816, the “Pet-Shop Kennel Act.” Farm Bureau is the Commonwealth’s largest general farm organization, with approximately 26,000 member-families engaged in all manner of agricultural activities, including the production and processing of crops; the production and processing of forestry products; landscaping and horticultural services; agriculture-related support services; food manufacturing; and the production of animals, including breeding and raising dogs for commercial sale.

Pennsylvania Farm Bureau strongly opposes House Bill 1816, as it targets and intentionally disfavors an important segment of the Commonwealth’s agricultural economy by coercing some businesses to subsidize direct competitors; limits the ability of an individual Pennsylvanian to purchase the pet of his choice; and infringes upon the inherent individual right to the use of one’s own property for one’s own benefit (and by
extension, the benefit of his community) that is guaranteed to every American citizen by the United States and Pennsylvania Constitutions.

House Bill 1816 prohibits the issuance or renewal of a “pet-shop kennel” (defined in the bill as a kennel or person that acquires and sells dogs, cats or rabbits for the purposes of resale, and sells or offers to sell such animals at retail) license for any person holding such a license in accordance with the Dog Law that was issued prior to Jan. 1, 2027. However, pet-shop kennels would “not be prohibited from offering space to humane
societies or rescue organizations to showcase adoptable animals to the public.” In fact, the legislation goes a step further in its animus toward commercial dog breeders and raisers by disallowing a pet-shop kennel from recouping the costs associated with “offering” competing suppliers of dogs space in its facility.

Leaving aside obvious questions related to the propriety of 1) abrogating (without cause) a license issued in good faith by the Commonwealth to a business legally operating within its borders; 2) forcing that business to subsidize a competitor by requiring it to house and promote that competitor’s animals with no access to
compensation for this service through adoption or other fees; and 3) the legislation’s prohibition of pet-shop kennels’ ability to offer additional dogs, breed additional dogs or otherwise increase the population of dogs in the kennel while being limited to “showcasing” rescue dogs, this provision contradicts Farm Bureau policy, which supports:

● Continued allowance of pet-shop kennels that are licensed and inspected by the state to purchase animals from multiple sources; and
● That all kennels licensed and inspected by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture must abide by the same regulatory standards, regardless of status (commercial, non-commercial, non-profit, or boarding).

House Bill 1816 also mandates that persons/pet-shop kennels allow warrantless inspections of their facilities by state dog wardens, police officers, and others authorized by law enforcement. This too contradicts Farm Bureau policy, in that we support legislation requiring state officials to identify themselves, notify property owners, obtain written or oral permission, or have a search warrant before going onto private property.

Pennsylvania Farm Bureau members, including the dog raisers we represent, are committed to maintaining and improving the welfare of the animals we raise. Those individuals, like the operators of most private businesses providing products or services to the public in a competitive marketplace, want to provide their consumers with the highest quality puppies. Those currently licensed under the authority of the Pennsylvania Dog Law and the USDA have formed two organizations of over 500 puppy raisers in the state. They have also implemented a Kennel Assistance Program to self-monitor and communicate directly with regulators to make sure their puppies are being raised in the best possible conditions.

The larger issue is the number of kennels in the Commonwealth that continue to raise and sell puppies without being properly licensed. In fact, Victoria, the namesake of House Bill 1816, was acquired from a non-licensed kennel. We believe that the underground industry in the pet world should be held accountable, but in our view, penalizing licensed puppy raisers who are pushing the bar upward in making sure that their
customers’ puppies are being raised in the most humane way achievable does nothing to address that issue. In fact, House Bill 1816, if enacted, will result in a not-insignificant number of Pennsylvania residents seeking new pets spending their money outside the Commonwealth, thus reducing economic growth—and the resulting tax revenue—at a time when the state is facing a persistent multi-billion-dollar structural budget deficit.

In closing, permitting and licensing reform have been centerpiece issues in recent years for the Shapiro Administration and many members of the General Assembly, including, we suspect, some of the members of this committee. House Bill 1816, if approved, sends a contradictory (at best) signal to all businesses licensed to operate (or considering operating) in Pennsylvania about the future security and stability of their investment, which sadly, seems to be a primary objective (and, if enacted, will be a primary outcome) of this legislation.

Once again, Pennsylvania Farm Bureau strongly opposes House Bill 1816. We thank the committee for the opportunity to share our views.