have no way to keep a dog outside , even with excellent housing , food and water . Beyond that , tethering laws rarely consider the stakeout chain , which bird dog trainers , field trialers and hunters use to air , feed and train multiple dogs simultaneously starting at puppyhood .
Outside Dogs Laws
Unbelievably , states like New Hampshire , Wisconsin , Florida and Pennsylvania have tried to restrict , almost to the point of prohibiting in some instances , outside dogs . These regulations usually have to do with length of time outside , hours dogs can be outside and arbitrary temperature thresholds . They might seem reasonable based on human standards , but they fail to acknowledge the physiological differences of dogs , which allow them to stay warm when humans would freeze to death .
For sporting dogs , which work outside , often in harsh conditions and extreme temperatures , the need to acclimate is paramount . A high-prey dog will do its work , but asking a dog accustomed to a human-comfort temperature of 70 degrees to repeatedly jump in icy water or run a marathon in warmer temperatures is highly unfair , and potentially dangerous . The fact of the matter is , a well-cared for dog with access to food , water , shade and shelter can flourish outside .
Breeding and Sales Laws
To shut down puppy mills with deplorable conditions and uncared for dogs , activists and legislators dictate an arbitrary number of dogs a person can own , a random number of intact females or a totally baseless number of transfers before triggering commercial licensing requirements . In their attempt to define “ too many ” dogs or puppies for someone to manage or sell , they often set the thresholds low enough to include sportsmen with multiple hunting dogs , such as hounds or bird dogs . Likewise , even just breeding one female , once , and transferring pick of the litter to the stud dog ’ s owner could define someone as a commercial breeder and subject them to licensing costs , fee schedules and home inspections . We ’ ve recently seen these bills in New Hampshire , Rhode Island , Arkansas , Tennessee , Texas , Florida and Illinois .
When it comes to law , words matter to the application , scope and enforcement of regulations . Explicit language , without exceptions , that prohibits common and accepted sporting-dog practices and standards would destroy hundreds of years of bloodlines , proven training methods and the hunting of those magnificent breeds outright . Likewise , ambiguous language left to interpretation equally threatens sportingdog endeavors . Animal-rights activists know this , leverage it to their advantage and resist exemptions or clarifications during the legislative process .
At the Sportsmen ’ s Alliance , we support animal welfare , but will protect and promote all forms of hunting , especially the breeding , kenneling , training , selling and hunting of sporting dogs . Animal-welfare laws already exist in every state ; failure to stop animal abuse is usually less a matter of current laws and more a symptom of an overloaded system lacking resources , enforcement and prosecution follow through .
Animal Welfare vs Animal Rights
While often lumped together , a distinction exists between animal welfare and animal rights . Activists for the latter try to blur the lines between the two , especially in policy development , to create a slippery slope based on rhetoric .
Animal welfare considers the wellbeing of animals used for food , companionship and sport . It applies rational principles to the care of domestic animals , whose lives and welfare often depend upon human action . These principles are based upon science and species-specific needs of comfort , productivity and overall health , which includes food , water , shelter , exercise , veterinary care and even death .
Animal rights is a philosophical belief system that equates animal and human consciousness , ethics and their related behaviors . It confers the entitlement of human rights to animals , including subjective moral and objective legal rights , without regard to science ( or often misrepresenting it ), domestication or species or breed needs and behaviors .
SPORTSMEN ’ S MONTHLY
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