Future of Hunting with Dogs Threatened by Spay and Neuter Laws

Sporting dog owners across the U.S. are facing a continued threat to the future of hunting with dogs. The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance (USSA), a national sportsmen’s rights organization, is working with sporting dog enthusiasts all around the country to protect the future of hunting with dogs and sporting dog hobby breeders. We need your help because this issue is much bigger than just one state.

The threat comes in the form of proposed California legislation requiring all dogs over six months old to be spayed or neutered.

Last summer, the proposed legislation was pulled from the Senate Local Government Committee agenda after the bill’s sponsor, Assemblyman Lloyd Levine, D-Van Nuys, realized it did not have enough support to pass. The bill provides exemptions only for licensed breeders and a handful of purebred animals that meet rigid qualifications. It provides no protection for sportsmen who hunt over mixed breed dogs.

Sportsmen’s pressure on California lawmakers has helped protect hobby breeders and hunting interests, but the fight is not over. Assemblyman Levine has vowed to continue garnering support for the bill. Sportsmen must be prepared to continue the fight in 2008.

The USSA worked with key national and local sportsmen’s groups and dog organizations to drum up grassroots action and defeat the measure. California Houndsmen for Conservation, California Outdoor Heritage Alliance, Masters of Foxhounds Association of America and PetPAC are among the organizations that helped raise awareness, motivate hunters to action, and raise funds to defeat the bill.

How We Will Win

To win in California, we need to maintain our grassroots pressure. We need our lobbyists to continue to work with legislators to ensure our message is being heard. We need our legal services team to continue negotiating language that will not impact our community. These essential services have been provided by USSA and its partners and volunteers. In other states, we need the same approach. Across the country we need to unite to monitor spay and neuter bills. We need to make sure the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance is able to help us wage this fight in every state where it arises. That is why we are asking you to make a contribution to the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance.

Animal rights groups have hijacked the movement to control the pet population. It is critical that you are alert to make sure these types of hidden agenda attacks in your state do not impact private kennels.

The spay and neuter campaign is just the tip of the iceberg. Fortunately, we have a great ally in fighting this and the many other attacks that the antis use to stop hunting with hounds. The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance has been our greatest asset. They organize coalitions, unify sportsmen and focus them with a professional strategy to enable us to protect our rights. But they can’t fight the war chest of the animal rights movement without your help.