(Harrisburg) – A Pennsylvania regulatory panel has scrapped proposed dog care regulations that would have wrecked hunting with hounds, field trialing, and sporting dog training. Legislators have sent the regulations back to the state Department of Agriculture for a complete rewrite.
A campaign coordinated by the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance and other dog organizations generated a torrent of sportsmen’s calls to Gov. Ed Rendell, state lawmakers and the Department of Agriculture opposing the original regulations. The action helped stop the initial proposal; however, houndsmen are not off the hook. The state will put forth a revised proposal, and sportsmen must keep up grassroots action to be sure their rights are not compromised.
On April 16, the Pennsylvania Independent Regulatory Review Commission directed the Department of Agriculture to revise overreaching dog care specifications. While the state is committed to enacting regulations to toughen health and safety standards for Pennsylvania kennels, the initial proposal would have made it impossible to breed and raise hounds and hunting dogs. Sporting dog owners nationwide feared that such a plan could have become a model for other states.
“Sportsmen responded to alerts issued by the USSA and campaign partners, delivering thousands of messages to elected officials and decision-makers to demonstrate their opposition to the dog care rules,” said U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Vice President for Government Affairs Rob Sexton. “Sporting dog organizations in Pennsylvania and across the country have joined the vital campaign to keep the Keystone State proposal from wrecking their sports.”
The Masters of Foxhounds Association of America, American Beagler Magazine; American Brittany Club, Inc.; American Cooner Magazine; American Field Magazine; American Plott Association; Better Beagling Magazine; Cabela's, Inc.; Full Cry Magazine; Hounds and Hunting Magazine; Hunter's Horn Magazine; German Shorthaired Pointer Club of America, Inc.; Jack Russell Terrier Clubs of America, Inc.; National Cur & Feist Breeders Association; National Hunting Beagle Association; Ruffed Grouse Society; The Rabbit Hunter Magazine; United Kennel Club, Inc.; Ardrossan Beagles, Inc.; Carlisle Beagle Club; Pennsylvania Beagle Gundog Association; Towanda Beagle Club and others are lending their support to the operation. The Pennsylvania Federation of Dog Clubs and the American Kennel Club are also coordinating with the campaign.
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture proposed the regulations in December 2006. The rules, backed by national anti-hunting groups, were among the most oppressive that sporting dog owners had ever seen. Among the requirements were expensive animal housing upgrades, mandatory daily exercise, and the keeping of daily sanitation and cleaning records.
Pennsylvania sportsmen should continue to contact Gov. Rendell and state lawmakers. Ask them to make sure that the Department of Agriculture’s future dog care proposals do not contain complicated and contradictory requirements, which will prevent sporting dog owners from enjoying their sport. To find your legislators and for contact information, use the Legislative Action Center at www.ussportsmen.org. Use the resource to prepare a letter for the governor and lawmakers.
Send comments to Gov. Edward Rendell’s Office, 225 Main Capitol Building, Harrisburg, PA, 17120. Phone: (717) 787-2500. Fax (717)772-8284.
If you know someone in Pennsylvania, encourage them to help in the effort. Relay this message and encourage them to ask lawmakers and Gov. Rendell to make sure sportsmen’s rights are not compromised.
Sporting dog enthusiasts outside of Pennsylvania are urged to support the Sporting Dog Defense Coalition effort through a generous donation to prevent overreaching dog care regulations from becoming a model in your state. For more information, call (614) 888-4868.
The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance is a national association of sportsmen and sportsmen’s organization that protects the rights of hunters, anglers and trappers in the courts, legislatures, at the ballot, in Congress and through public education programs. For more information about the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance and its work, call (614) 888-4868 or visit its website, www.ussportsmen.org.
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