A new watchdog unit, more OIG investigators, breeder mailings, and a 2027 rulemaking are on the way. On September 21, 2026, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins convened a Strikeforce roundtable with federal partners to announce a package of enforcement, inspection, staffing, and regulatory actions aimed at companion-animal facilities regulated under the Animal Welfare Act — including USDA-licensed dog breeders.
On September 21, 2026, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins convened a Strikeforce roundtable with federal partners — including HHS, DOJ, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, USDA's Office of Inspector General (OIG), and the DOJ OIG — to announce a package of enforcement, inspection, staffing, and regulatory actions aimed at companion-animal facilities regulated under the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA), including USDA-licensed dog breeders. USDA also confirmed it will propose updated dog-care standards in 2027 and intensify scrutiny of repeat and unlicensed operators.
Five Elements of USDA's Roadmap. First, standards update advancing: APHIS plans a 2027 regulatory proposal drawing on 7,522 public comments received in response to its February 17, 2026 Request for Information (Docket APHIS-2025-1000), which sought data on breeding-female care and the exercise and socialization needs of dogs under the AWA. The comment period, originally set to close March 19, 2026, was extended to April 20, 2026.
Second, breeder refresher mailings: USDA will send more than 2,000 "regulatory refresher" mailings to dog-breeding facilities restating legal requirements for humane care.
Third, a new unit: USDA has deployed the Animal Protection Bureau (APB), a specialist unit supporting AWA and Horse Protection Act (HPA) programs through targeted compliance reviews, coordinated investigations, and modernized enforcement — working alongside inspectors, veterinary officers, and legal partners to identify unlicensed operations and address welfare risks nationally.
Fourth, staffing: USDA OIG plans to increase, by 20% over the coming year, the number of special-agent investigators working animal fighting and related matters — supplementing APHIS investigations with administrative and legal escalation.
Fifth, surrendered-license review: within six months, USDA will review dog breeders who surrendered a USDA or comparable state license within the prior two years, looking for operators who may have continued business in circumvention of the AWA.
2026 Enforcement Activity Reported by USDA: 8 licenses denied or terminated, 6 licenses suspended, and 5 licenses revoked. USDA also reported pursuing, with DOJ, a serious-danger case against a dog breeder and supporting criminal investigations involving three dog facilities. Note: these are license and DOJ-referral actions — the AWA does not authorize USDA to impose monetary fines.
What This Means for Licensees. This announcement is a roadmap of USDA's regulatory and enforcement agenda — it is not an immediate new nationwide care rule. The consequential next step is the anticipated 2027 APHIS rulemaking, which would go through a formal notice-and-comment process before taking effect. In the near term, licensed breeders should expect more consistent inspections, more compliance outreach (including the refresher mailings), and heightened scrutiny of license surrenders, repeat findings, and possible unlicensed activity.
All figures cited above — the 7,522 comments, 2,000+ mailings, the Animal Protection Bureau, the 20% OIG staffing increase, and the six-month surrendered-license review — were cross-checked directly against USDA's September 21, 2026 press release (Release No. 0121.26) and the Federal Register notice for Docket APHIS-2025-1000, in addition to AKC's coverage. No factual corrections were needed.
The American Kennel Club's Government Relations Department (AKC GR) has been tracking this process since the RFI's publication and submitted formal comments to APHIS in April 2026. AKC GR continues to monitor developments, including the pending 2027 rulemaking.