Over-reaching " puppy mill " bills , while at their core intended to discourage unscrupulous breeders , unfairly target sportsmen who seek only to pass on the bloodlines of dogs that show outstanding performance in the field .
DAN LENSSEN ( TOP ), CHRIS INGRAM ( RIGHT ), SPORTSMEN ' S ALLIANCE DOG PHOTO CONTEST
Pulling Heartstrings with Puppy Mills
The first major national push from extremists in the “ animal welfare ” arena was the effort to ban “ puppy mills ,” which began several years ago . Average Americans were introduced to “ puppy mills ” after extremist organizations engaged in “ undercover ” investigations , video evidence was presented of “ deplorable conditions ,” and legislation began cropping up in state legislatures and city councils all across the country .
The problem , of course , was that much of this legislation was over-written , too complex and entirely over-inclusive , essentially casting all sporting-dog breeders , no matter how small , into the “ puppy mill ” universe with a wagging-finger and accusations of abusive conduct subject to the heavy hammer of new regulations and massive fines for noncompliance .
After the Sportsmen ’ s Alliance rallied the troops and beat back these initial attempts , the animal extremists have only grown more emboldened , but smarter , about how they operate . What we are now seeing is a national effort that is more carefully nuanced to lull sportsmen to sleep and hope they aren ’ t watching too closely . While they still cast their attempts as “ animal welfare ” measures to prevent “ animal cruelty ,” they often do so with local groups and piecemeal bills that are more incremental in nature . And , they are coming at us in every level of government . Tethering restrictions , sheltering requirements , cost of care and noise limitations are just a few of their favored approaches in today ’ s public square .
Tethering regulations are among the most common the Sportsmen ’ s Alliance has engaged in over the past few years . Our position has always been clear : tethering a dog is entirely appropriate and should remain legal for hunting , field trials and during training . The difficulty with the animal extremists is , in their view , tethering is never acceptable and must be prohibited to the maximum extent possible . Tethering bills will typically include time limits or requirements on lead length , lead material , etc . Over the past two years , more than a dozen states have introduced tethering restrictions , including many states with high hunter populations , so this is not an issue that will leave the public square any time soon .
Tethering bills go against basic hound-hunting methods and principles .
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