When it comes to lobbying, likability never hurts, so some groups have a natural advantage.

“I don’t think I have ever met an anti-dog legislator,” said Sheila Goffe, vice president, government relations, at the American Kennel Club. The group was set up on Halifax Mall Wednesday with baskets of treats — both canine and human — and a dozen or so dogs eager for all the attention they could get.

Goffe said the group was there to promote responsible ownership and wave the AKC flag a bit. “We’re very excited to be celebrating 140 years,” she said. “So we just want to remind folks that we’ve been around for a long time and have tremendous expertise — world-class expertise — that’s available to anyone simply for asking.”

While the AKC’s executive headquarters is in New York City, its primary operations center is in Raleigh and employs more than 250 people, she said. AKC literature said it staged 916 events in North Carolina involving 92,000 people in 2023. There are 148 AKC-registered dog clubs in the state.

Virtually everyone loves dogs, but not everyone agrees on public policy related to them. Public policy issues include dog owners’ rights, canine health, service and detection dogs, breeding and rescue issues, so there’s plenty of room for disagreement. 

“What people don’t realize is that the American Kennel Club alone tracks more than 2,500 pieces of legislation a year nationwide,” Goffe said. “And I’ll tell you, as many dog owners as there are, there’s probably as many opinions as well.” 

Inside the building, members of the Carolinas Independent Automobile Dealers Association (CIADA) visited legislators to promote the passage of House Bill 199, an agency bill that would — among other changes related to the Department of Motor Vehicles — allow dealers to print temporary license tags. 

“It would simplify the process and will make it electronic so it’ll be all easier to process,” said lobbyist Fred Bone, who represents CIADA. “[The group] is also looking to advocate for more modernization at DMV and trying to find ways that we can help DMV help the dealers so that things can be processed quicker.”

Law enforcement would benefit from a centralized, electronic system for registering temporary car tags, he said.

Bone said CIADA is a dual-state organization representing roughly 15,000 independent dealers here and in South Carolina. Changes that make DMV processes simpler and quicker would help used-car dealers especially. “They are small businesses, family-run operations,” he said. 

Much of the building was quiet Wednesday, with legislators and staff in Kings Mountain to attend the funeral of House Speaker Tim Moore’s father. All House and Senate committee meetings were canceled.