Alabama House Bill 551 prohibits tethering a dog outside between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. or anytime without access to shelter if the temperature is below 32 degrees. House Bill 551 needs to have more robust exclusions for sporting-dog owners and trainers.
Take Action Today! Alabama members should contact their State Representative and urge them to oppose House Bill 551. Members can find their legislators by using the Sportsmen’s Alliance Legislative Action Center.
The bill includes exemptions for hunting dogs while actively on a hunting or training trip, but doesn’t allow for it at home. “We appreciate that the sponsor clearly intends to try to protect sporting-dog owners in the state, but the exemption is only for traveling hunters, trainers or trial dogs,” said Jacob Hupp, associated director of state services for Sportsmen’s Alliance. “Why is it okay for someone to tether a dog during these hours or temperatures when on the road, but not at home under the same circumstances, especially when the dog would have access to permanent shelter, food and water?”
The Sportsmen’s Alliance maintains that, under most circumstances, sufficient animal-cruelty laws exist, and that the overall health, safety, physical condition and well-being of the individual dog should be the determining factor when it comes to animal-cruelty charges, not arbitrary times and temperatures. Sportsmen need more exemptions in HG 551 so that they can keep hunting dogs outside and acclimated to the temperatures in which they will work.
“One-size-fits-all legislation is usually poorly written legislation that penalizes law-abiding citizens and doesn’t account for a myriad of circumstances,” said Hupp. “Those who rent their homes or those without the financial means to build a nice fence or kennel on their property or dogs that like to climb are just a couple of examples of those who would be negatively impacted by this bill. In Alabama, many people have hounds, and it’s not feasible to have several dogs inside. An outside dog is not indicative of animal cruelty.”
The arbitrary time and temperature parameters included in the bill are common language pushed by animal-rights organizations in other states across the country. These parameters have nothing to do with the overall health and safety of a dog. Animal control officers should make determinations about animal cruelty based on the condition of individual dogs.
About the Sportsmen’s Alliance: The Sportsmen’s Alliance protects and defends America’s wildlife conservation programs and the pursuits – hunting, fishing and trapping – that generate the money to pay for them. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation is responsible for public education, legal defense and research. Its mission is accomplished through several distinct programs coordinated to provide the most complete defense capability possible. Stay connected to Sportsmen’s Alliance: Online, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.