Recently, I learned from…

Recently, I learned from Animal Justice of the Ontario Government's intention to expand on facilities allowing unleashed hunting dogs on penned prey. I had no idea that these facilities existed but I was appalled that they do and the manner in which they are operated. While these are illegal in most States and in ALL other provinces except Ontario, there is the threat of this horrendous practice expanding here. This is deplorable. I protest this development and question who is approving of this. If the public were aware of such cruelty I do think there would be a strong outcry against them. These after all were to be phased out in a 1997 law. How is this suddenly acceptable?
It is stunning and revolting to me that anyone would refer to unleashing would-be hunting dogs on penned prey and would call that a “sport”. Sport has always implied to me that outcomes are unpredictable with winners and losers. There is no unpredictability for who are the losers here. The intentional brutality planned for by this scenario is no less than cruelty to animals. I was under the mistaken impression that we have laws against this and had no idea we authorized and willingly licensed such cruelty. That the government would entertain a notion that somehow their licensing would keep this practice from going “underground" and that somehow “licensing” makes this approvable, is quite mystifying. I fail to see how whether this is licensed or unlicensed there is any way that this is not cruel and inhumane. The whole premise on which this scheme is founded that the animals are first trapped or ensnared to be put into the pens for their vicious slaughter is horrid. To have this sanctioned by the government is beyond belief.
Quite the opposite of expanding the number of licensed premises for this abhorrent activity, a modicum of sportsman-like behaviour would be to ban this altogether and reserve hunting to having the prey with chances of survival.
I would hope you could consider the outright rejection of this plan.