UPDATE! The committee hearing for NH HB 1389 on Jan. 16 was recessed and a public hearings will reconvene on Jan. 28 at 10 a.m. in Legislative Office Building Room 303. Followed up by a full committee work session on Jan. 30, 2020.
Take Action Today! New Hampshire sportsmen should contact their state representative and ask them to vote NO on HB 1389. Members can use the Sportsmen’s Alliance Legislative Action Center Directory to contact their state representative.
HB 1389 would make it a crime to leave a dog outside and unattended for more than 30 minutes, unless the dog has access to a shelter built to exacting building specs. The bill would also make it a crime to leave a dog outside for more than 15 minutes when the temperature is below 32 degrees, even if a shelter is provided.
“You know things have gone too far when the law would make it a crime to put your dog in the backyard on a 65 degree day in May,” said Jacob Hupp associate director of state services for the Sportsmen’s Alliance. “And those who really care about the welfare of hunting dogs know that it is important for them to be acclimated and conditioned to the temperatures they’ll be working in. Sportsmen favor tough laws to prevent animal neglect, but this proposal goes far beyond simple common sense.”
Even with a fenced back yard or an existing kennel, you must still provide access to a shelter that is built in line with specific new state standards, or you would be prohibited from keeping a dog outside for more than 30 minutes.
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.