Alert 9/8/08 2nd Class Dogs
Hunting with Hounds: A Way forward – Chapter 2
CROSS POST PLEASE
The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF) recently received over 900 written complaints from property owners around the state complaining about the practice of those hunting with dogs who come on to their properties ostensibly to retrieve their dogs. As often as not, their actions are suspect as extensions of their hunting activity and they fail to abide by the requirement that they come - unarmed – to retrieve any dogs who wandered. A significant portion of the 900 complaints also mentioned the condition of hunting dogs and problems with cars parked to get near the hunting scene (what – me walk???) and shooting near or over roads.
In response, DGIF is conducting a study entitled “Hunting with Hounds: A Way Forward”, the purpose of which is to take public comment in order to arrive at a fair solution to all concerned. The public comment process has involved both testimony at various meetings around the state and written comments that can be sent email or by US mail. (Details about how to do this are at the bottom of this alert.)
As you might expect, the public comment period saw hunters, and particularly fox hunters, out in force, proclaiming as loudly as you might imagine of their traditions, traditions, and traditions, saying very little about the rights of property owners to quiet enjoyment of their property, nor of the rights of the dogs not to be mistreated.
We asked before and now remind you again that you make contact with DGIF to urge them to either curtail or, as in the state of Georgia, dramatically reduce the impact of this practice. Here’s another for instance:
Just this morning, returning from the vet, on the main street of Middleburg were two hounds running in the road. Traffic inched by in both directions, people taking great care not to hurt the dogs.
Several cars had stopped, and two young ladies were out trying to help, attempting to move the dogs off the road and at the same time to catch them.
One of the women was also making a phone call, trying to get help for the dogs.
Just returning from the vet, I happened to have a leash in the car, so I stopped and tried to help as well.
I asked the woman who was making a call if she was calling Loudoun Animal Control to come get the dogs. She said she was not, but that she was reaching the Middleburg Hunt Club (or some similar name) to come get the dogs as she had seen the dogs wandering about there several times before and they were Hunt Club Dogs.
I asked if either woman had a camera, thinking this might be a good set of photos to have for DGIF, what with the traffic snarled and the dogs skittering away from helping hands, and the woman said her phone also worked as a camera. As she was getting ready to consider how to take the photos, I mentioned that there was a study underway by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF) addressing the issue of hunting with hounds, and how these dogs running loose, potentially a danger to themselves and traffic, is a good example of exactly why people are concerned about hunting with hounds. The woman with the camera/phone immediately stopped preparing to take any pictures and instead announced that she was “a big foxhound hunter”.
Both women then noted that hunting hounds are typically leery of people and that’s why they weren’t about to be caught, and that it isn’t unusual for hunting hounds “to go missing”.
Not used to people? Groups of dogs not used to people?
Not unusual “to go missing”, so why get excited?
These are second class dogs we should ignore and if injured or killed on the road, or cause drivers there to be similarly injured or killed, that is just part of the hunt tradition?
Hounds are, it appears, not that important. They “go missing”, they often belong to clubs rather than people and so lack socialization, are not seen as desirable pets, and so when they are abandoned, and they ARE abandoned in large numbers, they are seldom adopted. After all, these are Hunting Dogs, not Real Dogs. Tell that to the four hunting dogs we’ve adopted at our house. Tell that to the Hunting Dogs who become part of the Virginia system for abandoned dogs that are killed for no better reason than being excess and not wanted.
And consider that these Hunting Dogs typically are part of a group of Hunting Dogs covered by a “Kennel License”. Did you know that? While the cost of licenses for Real Dogs is ridiculously low, and the compliance rate of even buying those inexpensive licenses even ridiculously lower, a “Kennel License” is even cheaper. In some places, the cost of a “Kennel License” is 40 cents – I repeat – 40 cents per dog. The metal tag that goes with the license probably costs more than that. And do you think there may be far far more than 40 cents of your tax dollars spent when a Hunting Dog is captured, taken into custody for the required holding period, and then killed – do you think that exceeds the 40 cents the hunter has “invested” in a “Kennel License”?
Does this seem fair or right to you?
We can do better. If you think this is the wrong treatment for dogs, if you think there are no 2 nd class dogs, if you think kennel licenses should be eliminated (or made expensive enough that each covers the cost of capturing, providing custody, and then killing the 2 nd class dogs), then let DGIF know. If you think hunters are not paying their way, then let DGIF know.
Give DGIF your ideas.
Let DGIF know ASAP. Public input ends 9/12/08 so you have no time to waste.
Written comments:
The email for written comments:
The US mail address for written comments:
Hound Hunting SAC
c/o Sarah Kozlowski
111 Cheatham Hall
Department of Fisheries & Wildlife
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA 24060-0321
The public comment period ends on Friday, 9/12/08.
Lillian Clancy and Don Marro
This is the second alert on this subject. The first was sent on 8/30/08 and was titled “What You Can Do about Abandoned Hunting Dogs”. You can review that 8/30/08 alert at our website: www.VirginiaVotersForAnimalWelfare.com. Go to the blue side bar and click on 2008 alerts.