Proposal # 019-3685 I…

Proposal # 019-3685

I strongly object to the Ontario government's plan to endorse and facilitate the use of live, wild, captive animals to train dogs to hunt. It is cruel and unnecessary, and takes us many steps backward. Coyotes and foxes, like dogs and humans, are social species. They form attachments. They experience fear. We should be extending our idea of justice towards them, not a licence to abuse. I understand that dogs love hunting (and people love hunting with dogs), but we have dog sports -- such as nosework -- that satisfy the urge to hunt without terror. By catering to people who want to use their dogs to kill other animals, the government will be signalling a large step away from an idea of justice that includes and values other species. It will increase the belief that hunting with dogs is justified. It isn't. There is no need to terrorize an animal in the time it takes to hunt it down -- or to put the dogs themselves at risk of injury. Some people may still *want* to do it -- but this is not what we should be endorsing, even it is a "small business opportunity" (as described by the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters in a letter dated Sept 1, 2020).

Please reconsider. Please put us in alignment with countries such as England, Scotland, and South Africa that have banned hunting with dogs. We know that education -- and government leadership in this area -- can make a positive difference in public perception of wildlife.