NH Alert: January 25th Committee Vote on Bill Banning Training of Hunting Dogs and Field Trials

On Tuesday, January 25, 2022, the New Hampshire House Fish and Game and Marine Resources Committee will discuss and vote on House Bill 1308, which seeks to ban the capture, possession, and propagation of hares and rabbits for hunting dog training and field trials.  At the committee’s public hearing on January 14, The American Kennel Club (AKC) and New Hampshire’s Dog Owners of the Granite State (NH DOGS) strongly opposed the bill, together with more than one dozen beagle club members who were in attendance.  Supporters of the bill continue to mischaracterize these activities as unethical and barbaric.

HB 1308 challenges the authority and integrity of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Commission’s rules.  If adopted, it would result in the complete elimination of beagle training and competition events constituting a serious assault on the sport of hunting with dogs.  See AKC’s prior alert.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:  New Hampshire residents are urged to attend the House Committee’s work session on Tuesday, January 25, 2022 at 9:00am in the Legislative Office Building, Room 307, 33 N State Street, Concord, New Hampshire, 03301.  Lawmakers may have questions and are expected to vote on whether to advance the bill.

Residents are strongly encouraged to register your opposition to the bill by emailing the committee members prior to the January 25 at HouseFishandGameCommittee@leg.state.nh.us asking them to vote the bill Inexpedient to Legislate (ITL) (AKA, a bad idea).  Points to include in your email should include:

1. In the subject line, type “Vote HB 1308 ITL”.
2. Provide your name and address.
3. Explain that.
   1. Training hunting dogs requires live game and cannot be done in the wild.
   2. There is no legal trade of hare to buy for training purposes.
   3. Hares are not killed or harmed in training or field trials.
4. Request they vote the bill “ITL”.

For more information on this or other legislative issues in New Hampshire, contact AKC’s Government Relations Department at 919-816-3720 or doglaw@akc.org; or the Dog Owners of the Granite State at dogs.nh@gmail.com.