Last week, Judge Peter Anderson of Dane County, issued a ruling that is two-fold. Judge Anderson ruled that dogs can be used by hunters to track and hunt wolves. In the same ruling, Judge Anderson also prohibited people from training dogs for the purpose of hunting wolves because the state’s Department of Natural Resources does not have training standards that address the inherent threat wolves pose to dogs in general, including hunting dogs.
As part of his ruling, Judge Anderson also acknowledged that most of Wisconsin’s residents do not believe it is appropriate to use dogs to hunt wolves and that despite the opinion of the majority, lawmakers and the Department of Natural Resources were trying to appease hunters who lobbied to allow dogs to be used in hunting wolves.
Despite Judge Anderson’s acknowledgement, Wisconsin is the only state in America that permits dogs to be used in hunting wolves. In response to Judge Anderson’s ruling, the Dane County Humane Society issued a statement which, in part, reads as follows:
“Without a legislative remedy, Wisconsin, in effect, will be sponsoring and condoning state-sanctioned animal fighting – the setting of packs of dogs on packs of wolves with deadly and inhumane consequences. Quotas for the state’s wolf hunt were met in the first half of the allotted season without the need for, or use of, dogs, and the season was terminated earlier than originally planned.”
As the Dane County Humane Society is suggesting to its supporters, you are encouraged to contact your community’s state representatives to encourage them to draft and/or support legislation that prevents the use of dogs to hunt wolves. Call, email, or send a message via Facebook or Twitter to remind your elected officials that the majority of voters in Wisconsin do not approve of using dogs to hunt wolves and that it should not be permitted.
There is a reason why every other state in the nation disallows the practice, after all.
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