I am against the proposal to…

I am against the proposal to re-issue licenses for new dog train and trial areas and to transfer licenses.

I have been unable to find a compelling reason to encourage the practice of dog training and hunting competitions with captive animals, which falls into the realm of blood sport and does not appear to have any major concrete benefits that offset its cruelty.

The government of Ontario should be spending its resources implementing ethical and humane programs that directly support our diverse ecosystem, rather than re-introducing practices that inflict pain and bloodshed on animals for the enjoyment of a minority of hunters.

While I do not hunt, I understand that hunting is a way of life for some people and they wish to continue hunting with dogs in this way. However, I believe that at this point in history, the right of wild animals to live with the least possible harm from human beings trumps the desire of hunters to harm animals for enjoyment (as I imagine very few hunters in Ontario are true subsistence hunters).

There may be some use in keeping a small number of training facilities open to encourage lawful hunting practices, for training purposes ONLY (no competitions). However, as this proposal involves the re-issuance of new licenses and does not ban competitions, I cannot support it.