The public comment period on the US Department of Agriculture (USDA)/Animal Plant Health and Inspection Service (APHIS) proposed rule regarding "Retail Pet Stores and Licensing Exemptions" closed on August 15.

Thousands of comments were submitted, and the agency's review process is ongoing. Following review of comments, USDA may:

•	move forward with the rule as initially proposed, or
•	make any variety of amendments to the rule and re-issue a final rule for public consideration, or
•	withdraw the proposed rule and consider another approach "to ensure that animals sold at retail are monitored for their health and humane treatment."

Click here to view and search the thousands of comments submitted to APHIS. Agency review and processing of online comments may take several weeks, so all comments may not yet be listed.

More than 70,000 concerned dog owners signed the American Kennel Club (AKC) online petition, Join With the AKC to Protect Responsible Small Breeders, as of the August 13 petition deadline. Click here to view the AKC's comments.

AKC Government Relations (GR) will post updates on the USDA/APHIS Regulation Resource Page as new information becomes available.