AKC Warns Farm Bill Amendment Could Ban Dog Sports, Training Events

The next time a GSP flushes birds at a sanctioned AKC hunt test, or a Border Terrier goes to ground at an earthdog trial, that moment could technically constitute a federal crime under language now embedded in the House Farm Bill, and the American Kennel Club is not being quiet about it.

AKC's Government Relations team published a legislative alert on March 31, warning that the Greyhound Protection Act of 2025 (HR 5017), inserted as an amendment into the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 on March 3 by the House Agriculture Committee, carries language broad enough to effectively outlaw live lure training, open-field coursing, and the use of live animals in sanctioned dog sport events. The amendment was sponsored by California Rep. Salud Carbajal, who during the committee debate cited Animal Wellness Action as a key supporter of the change.

The irony is sharp: the legislation is framed as a fix for commercial greyhound racing, but West Virginia is the only state in the country that has any active tracks, just two of them. Yet the statutory language, according to AKC, goes well beyond "commercial" greyhound racing and would ban certain types of hounds in hunting, as well as the use of live lures for training or field trials.

For performance households, the threat lands on the calendar. The AKC alert identifies field trials, hunt tests, earthdog, barn hunt, lure coursing, and Fast CAT as events potentially in scope of the prohibition. Retriever trainers who use controlled exposure to farm-raised birds as part of pointing and flushing development face the same ambiguity. Without a federal definition of "open field coursing" in the bill or under the Animal Welfare Act, courts often revert to commonly available dictionary definitions, which can sweep in any breed working game in an open field.

Sheila Goffe, AKC Executive Secretary and VP Government Relations, had praised the base Farm Bill text when it was released in February, calling it a bipartisan effort by House Agriculture Chairman G.T. Thompson that "supports important priorities for dog enthusiasts including canine health, welfare and the rights of responsible dog owners." The March 3 amendment reversed that calculation entirely.

AKC is now asking supporters to join AKC and leading sportsmen's organizations in defending responsible dog enthusiasts, sportsmen, and trainers, and to contact members of Congress directly to seek removal or clarification of the language before the bill advances further.

Take action now, in three steps.

Who to contact: Reach your U.S. representative and both senators through the AKC Government Relations action portal at akc.org/legislative-alerts, or call the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask for your member's office directly.

What to say: The HR 5017 amendment language is too broad and must include explicit exemptions for AKC-sanctioned field trials, hunt tests, lure coursing, Fast CAT, earthdog, and barn hunt, as well as for live-bird training conducted under regulated conditions. Ask your representative to remove or amend the language before the bill reaches a floor vote.

Watch point: The Farm Bill is in active floor consideration. The window to shape final statutory language is narrow and closing. Track the bill's progress at congress.gov under HR 7567 and monitor AKC Government Relations alerts for updated action deadlines, particularly before any Senate conference movement.