Why It Matters: In addition to catering to a dog’s basic needs, sporting dog owners maintain high standards when it comes to providing shelter, breeding, hunting, and participating in field trials, hunt tests, and shows with their four-legged companions. These aspects of responsible dog ownership are critical to maintaining hunters ability to hunt with dogs, one of our most storied traditions.
Highlights
- On September 23, the Fairfield County Council voted on a county ordinance that would have required all hunting dog owners to pay a $50 fee to register their hunting dogs with the county. The same requirement was proposed for dogs that participate in shows and/or competitions.
- In addition, the proposed ordinance would permit the county to inspect “commercial breeding kennels” to ensure that breeders maintain standards and procedures promulgated by the well-known anti-hunting organization, the Humane Society of the United States.
- Other requirements in the ordinance included kennel restrictions and spay/neuter requirements with poorly defined exemptions and language that could classify a person that sells a single litter of puppies or charges a stud fee as a “commercial breeding kennel.”
- Following unified opposition from the sporting community, the Fairfield County Council voted unanimously to send the ordinance back to committee, where it can be amended.
With legislative attempts at the state level that would restrict hunters’ ability to hunt with dogs often failing in the Southeast, attempts at the local level, whether intentional or not, to restrict access for hunters that wish to utilize sporting dogs in their pursuits are common. Maintaining awareness of actions at the local level that may impact your ability to enjoy our time-honored traditions is critical.
The issues described in the above section all have one common theme: they would create additional barriers to responsible sporting dog ownership and, ultimately, restrict access to those who wish to hunt with their four-legged companions. While this is not an outright hunting ban, onerous restrictions like registering sporting dogs with local government, subjecting small kennel operations to unnecessary inspections, and instituting unclear kennel restrictions and spay/neuter requirements only create confusion among the hunting community. By adding unnecessary regulations at the local level, hunters may not wish to participate in our time-honored traditions for fear of breaking the law, ultimately leading to a decline in hunter participation.
The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) worked closely with the South Carolina Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus, our partners at the American Kennel Club, and other in-state partners to oppose the measure proposed by the Fairfield County Council. CSF will continue to advocate for responsible sporting dog ownership, which is at the center of hunters’ ability to go afield with our four-legged companions.
