AKC government Relations Department: effective Advocacy: how to Positively influence legislation That affects You
By AKC
August 31, 2019
Professional groomers make family pets look and feel wonderful, and they also offer essential services that contribute to the animal’s health. but it doesn’t stop there.
Customers may request creative services or ask that their dogs be groomed to resemble a particular “celebrity” dog. Expectations are high, and the pressure on groomers to deliver top results on wiggling, howling and often uncooperative family pets has never been greater.
In this age of instant communication, even the best–run grooming service can be negatively affected by a dissatisfied customer who articles a grievance on social media. The issue may be correctable, such as a groom job that didn’t exactly match the owner’s vision, but what about an accident that affects the safety or health of a pet? A distressed customer may contact the press, the story goes viral and a tragic occurrence that affected a single pet is perceived as a community–wide problem.
As discussed in a previous article, when a pet is injured, well–meaning people want answers and they want assurances that it will never happen again. This can result in the introduction of legislation that seeks to regulate groomers.
Not only is expanded governmental oversight of groomers being discussed across the US, boosted taxation of pet–related services may be considered as a profits source. According to the American Pet products Association, Americans are spending a lot more on family pets than ever before. In 2018, pet owners spent a lot more than $72 billion on their pets, exceeding the previous year by a lot more than $3 billion. a lot more than $6 billion was spent on services such as boarding and grooming1. These and other aspects have brought pet care services under boosting governmental scrutiny.
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In recent years, several states and municipalities have proposed pet groomer regulations. Some proposals sought to establish groomer certification requirements based on guidelines for appeal beauty parlors and barbers. Such proposals do not consider the special needs of pet groomers. Further, because there are substantially fewer pet grooming services than appeal salons, far less profits would be generated by fees charged to groomers. Without sufficient funding, regulatory programs cannot be fairly and efficiently implemented, managed or maintained.
Bringing better options to the Table
“Bijou’s Law” in new jersey is among the highest–profile proposals that seek to regulate pet groomers. As first introduced, this legislation would have required the state to create a new groomer regulatory program from scratch, at significant cost and of undetermined efficiency.
AKC government Relations (AKC GR) and other animal advocacy groups worked to amend A3044, the NJ Assembly version of the bill, so that it is fair and benefits both groomers and pet owners. As amended, this bi–partisan bill creates a state board of grooming experts to set requirements for health and safety training, and promote continuing groomer education in conjunction with high quality training programs, including AKC’s S.A.F.E. grooming Program.
As of press time, the companion bill (S2154) is awaiting a Senate committee hearing. AKC GR is working on amendments to the Senate version of the bill to make it identical to A0344. Please check for current information and updates on Bijou’s Law, NJ A3044/S2154, at www.akcgr.org.
The AKC S.A.F.E. grooming Program was developed in consultation with experienced grooming professionals. This easily–accessible, detailed program supplies an exceptional resource to groomers who wish to obtain certification from a recognized authority and for governmental agencies that seek to carry out fair, science–based and cost–effective oversight of grooming businesses.
“The safety of our canine companions is a crucial worry for owners,” said mark Dunn, senior Vice president of Registration and customer Development, American Kennel Club. “The course supplies groomers with access to a lot more information and safety procedures that go above and beyond the standard.”
Getting in front of the Issues
Grooming professionals are urged to take action on issues that may affect their businesses. get involved before laws and guidelines are discussed or introduced in your state or community. Take the lead, offer options and establish yourself as a subject matter expert in your industry.
When advocating publicly, there is no substitute for functional knowledge. get to know the issues thoroughly, focus on certain areas of worry and offer viable options that address those concerns. expect questions from legislators or the public. Be prepared to answer those questions, supply data and share anecdotes to emphasize your point.
For example, if you decide to propose or advocate for groomer safety training, anticipate that lawmakers may wantnull