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The cruel facts about hunting dogs and hunt clubs
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Photo: Hunting dog, HSUS.
It’s that time of year again - hunting season. The season when hunters anxiously wait for their lottery number to come up, so they can purchase a prized “tag” which will allow them to stalk and kill an animal in the wild.
It’s the time of year that brings the opposing views of animal advocates and hunters to the forefront. And the differences in philosophy aren't just about killing innocent wild animals. Hunting season is also about extreme cruelty to the hounds that are used to track and retrieve for the hunters.
Many enthusiasts do their hunting through Hunt Clubs. One of the services offered by these Clubs, is the assistance of trained dogs to accompany the hunters while they are tracking their game. The hounds are rented on an individual basis or as a pack.
They are the property of the Hunt Club and too many times they are treated inhumanely.
The dogs used in pack hunts are sent into the woods with a group of about 40 hounds to track down deer, bear and other animals. Food is withheld from them so they will be motivated for the hunt. Because they are so hungry and running in a pack, they can ravage a deer or small bear before the hunters come for their sport.
The poor dogs are treated more like hunting equipment than living creatures. They are kept in crowded kennels and never socialized. Most are covered with ticks and fleas. Bold numbers are spray painted on their sides to identify them. It is easier than naming them.
And with every hunt, the hounds put their lives on the line.
Some dogs are shot accidentally and some get tangled in the brush or lost in the woods. Other dogs have been mauled by bears or caught in barbed wire fences that surround the property.
And when these innocent creatures get pregnant, are deemed to be poor hunters or just get old, they are abandoned in the woods.
The lucky ones are rescued by people like Rabiah Seminole who is highlighted in an HSUS article about the subject. Her 40-acre property in Virginia backs into a hunting preserve. She has rescued dogs like Willy Wags, who had a bone sticking out of his leg and Chase who was so thin that the skin on his body drooped around him like a drape.
In an effort to stop this practice, the HSUS and other animal welfare organizations have proposed legislation to states like Virginia and North Carolina where the use of pack hounds is popular.
Other Hunt Clubs offer the services of individual dogs to accompany hunters on the trail. It only takes a click of the mouse on the computer to bring up Clubs that proudly advertise their rent-a-dog line up. Prices range from $40 for a one-day rental, $25 per day if you rent for a full week and $425 for the entire season. They even have a "lease to own" program.
The hounds in these situations appear to be given more attention, training and socialization than the pack hounds. And when they are rented, a guide that knows each dog accompanies the group. When they return from their duties, the dogs are sent back to their kennels until they are needed by another hunter.
For those of us, who share our lives with wonderful canines - ask yourself this question: Would you want to see that type of life for one of your pets?
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