Madison County, VA to Require All Breeders Be Licensed As Commercial Kennels!
February 26, 2010

Dear AKC Delegates, Club Officers, Judges and Breeders,

Please forward this message to your club members who live in the Madison County area.

The Madison County Board of Supervisors will be voting on an ordinance on Wednesday, March 3rd which will remove the current exemption for home litters kept less than six months. Under the new provision, anyone breeding a single litter would need to obtain a special use permit.

Madison County Board of Supervisors Meeting
Wednesday, March 3rd
7:30 pm
County Administration Building
414 N. Main Street
Madison, VA 22727

This proposal will completely outlaw any residential breeding of dogs and severely restrict the rights of responsible breeders in other districts by placing unreasonable financial burdens on them.

Special use permits for kennels are only allowed in the conservation and agricultural districts. In the conservation district you must have 10 acres per use – meaning that if you had a residence on the property, you would need to have a minimum of 20 acres to be eligible for the special use permit. In the agricultural district you would need 3 acres per use – or a minimum of 6 acres for a home and a kennel.

Further, a special use permit requires notification of the Virginia Department of Transportation which may require you to make changes to the property entrance to accommodate projected traffic flow. The Virginia Health Department must also be notified and could impose additional restrictions.

Special use permits are subject to a public hearing before the Planning Commission who then makes a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors who grants or denies final approval.

The American Kennel Club opposes the concept of breeding permits, breeding bans or mandatory spay/neuter of purebred dogs. Instead, we support reasonable and enforceable laws that protect the welfare and health of purebred dogs and do not restrict the rights of breeders and owners who take their responsibilities seriously.

It is vital that responsible owners and breeders attend the Board of Supervisors meeting and oppose this unnecessary and burdensome change. If you are unable to attend the meeting, please send a polite letter to the supervisors expressing your concerns with this proposal and the hardships it would place on you as a responsible breeder.

Board of Supervisors

Dave Allen dallen@madisonco.virginia.gov

James Arrington jarrington@madisonco.virginia.gov

Jerry Butler jbutler@madisonco.virginia.gov

Eddie Dean edean@madisonco.virginia.gov

Pete Elliott pelliott@madisonco.virginia.gov

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