MAKING IT EASIER TO PROSECUTE ANIMAL OWNERS FOR ALLEGED WRONGDOING OPENS HUNTERS TO POTENTIAL HARASSMENT AND CHARGES .
The FRONT LINE
DANGEROUS
DOG LAWS
MAKING IT EASIER TO PROSECUTE ANIMAL OWNERS FOR ALLEGED WRONGDOING OPENS HUNTERS TO POTENTIAL HARASSMENT AND CHARGES .
When it comes to creating dog laws , animal extremists invoke images of neglected dogs on chains sitting in the rain and mud or puppies crammed in cages . Indeed , emotional imagery that invokes reactions from the most die-hard dog hunter . Nobody wants to see animals abused , especially man ’ s best friend . However , animal-cruelty laws exist in every state , and trying to better define or lower thresholds within those laws can prove problematic for breeders , trainers and owners of hunting dogs . Here ’ s how :
True Animal Rights
Anti-hunting , animal-rights advocates and organizations often use a slippery-slope tactic to slowly erode hunting and common sense when it comes to animal ownership and use . Other times , they make no pretense of their intentions , such as in Connecticut , Illinois and New Hampshire this session . These bills gave or expanded the standing of animals in court by appointing them legal counsel or “ guardians .” It ’ s a small slide from an organization representing an abused animal ’ s interests to arguing in court that training and hunting tactics are cruel or even that hunting violates the rights of wild animal .
Training / Field Trials / Hunting
In addition to the outright sanctions against hunting we see every year , animal extremists will target field trials , as they did last year in New Hampshire when a bill called for the end of rabbit breeding and possession for use in field trials , or before that in Washington state when an animal sanctuary tried to equate physical or mental pain and suffering to that of a human experience . This same group is behind this session ’ s seizure and cost-of-care bill . When attacks target training and field-trial methods , hunters can no longer train efficiently or objectively evaluate bloodlines .
Tethering and Outdoor Dogs
Often used together , tethering and keeping dogs outdoors during subjective times or temperatures opens dog trainers , field trialers and hunters to prosecution under several circumstances . Owners of hounds and bird dogs often use drop chains on stakeout cables in both training and hunting , and retrievers must be acclimated to dropping temperatures to perform safely in cold water and weather . Animal extremists prey on the human tendency of relating an animal ’ s experience to our own in an effort to end any means of keeping dogs outdoors instead of nestled on a couch in a 72-degree home .
Kenneling and Breeding
Unlike direct attacks to hunting or training , kenneling and breeding bills take a more subversive tack . By limiting breeding or mandating strict kenneling requirements , which often trigger increased licensing , home inspections and fees , the price of puppies and kenneling increase . These economic attacks impact almost all breeders and pro trainers who house client dogs during the off-season months . Well-bred and -trained dogs already cost more than $ 1,500 ; if successful in implementing these restrictions , the price of a puppy and training will quickly become out of reach for everyday hunters . Ironically , this financial handicap will eventually push would-be dog owners to unscrupulous , mass breeders of puppies .
CHRIS BOWERS , SPORTSMEN ’ S ALLIANCE DOG PHOTO CONTEST
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