Illegal for dogs to chase after rabbits!

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Dr. Chris
Posts: 282
Joined: Thu Sep 20, 2007 5:33 pm
Location: PA

Illegal for dogs to chase after rabbits!

Post by Dr. Chris »

This again, will be voted on Nov. 6 2008. Enjoy this rabbit season & field trialing because for California it may be the last. You can count on it coming to your state soon! We better act, before it's too late.

The state of California is "again" considering a new law that will make it illegal for dogs to chase after rabbits.

The proposed bill, AB 2110, introduced by Assemblywoman Loni Hancock (D), outlaws the sport of "Live Field Coursing". However, it's written in such a way to apply to any situation where a dog owner is aware their dog is free to chase rabbits...

(b) For the purposes of this section, "live field coursing" includes any activity in which a dog is left untethered and allowed to track and pursue any rabbit, hare, or fox and that results in the injury or death of the rabbit, hare, or fox.

So, if you know your dog likes to chase rabbits in the backyard, and you allow it to do so, you will become a criminal if that rabbit is harmed, and may serve up to six months in a county jail, or a $1,000 fine.

The issue of Field Coursing became overblown when the ABC News affiliate in San Francisco ran a story that covered the sport. Instead of portraying it as a 'beagling' competition for hounds and beagles, they used words like, "Blood Sport", "slow terrible death", and "some of the pictures might be disturbing".

They've managed to turn a centuries old sport into a "rabbit rights" issue.

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