May 14, 2012

Urge Your State Senator to Vote "Yes" on SB 1221

Dear Friend,

Appallingly, some hunters employ packs of dogs to pursue bears and bobcats in California. Under Senate Bill 1221, introduced by Sen. Ted W. Lieu (D-Torrance), that twisted practice would be banned — good news for bears, bobcats and dogs.

With your help SB 1221 passed the California Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water and now is up for a vote on the Senate floor, perhaps as soon as this week. Please help keep the momentum going by urging your state senator to vote "yes."

In "hounding," radio-collared dogs are used to track, chase and run down animals. Using a portable receiver, the hunter can determine when the pursued animal is trapped in a tree and then comes to shoot that animal at point-blank range. In their frantic retreat from the dogs, bears and bobcats endure a tremendous amount of stress. In addition, hounding may separate mother bears from their cubs, leaving the young orphaned or even caught and torn up by the dogs.

The dogs themselves also suffer. Hunters place their dogs at extreme risk each time they pit them against a bear or bobcat. In addition, hunting hounds frequently spend the bulk of their lives confined to a kennel or chained when not being used to track wildlife.

Please call and/or write your senator to vote "yes" on SB 1221 today. Elected officials receive a lot of e-mail, so please consider making your message stand out by adding a few of your own words about why this bill is important to you.

In common cause,

Share on Facebook     Share on Twitter