proposed legislation for California

[Kari]

Is everyone here familiar with the proposed legislation in California entitled CA A.B. 2110? The following is from a draft of AB2110:

SECTION 1. Section 597.4 is added to the Penal Code, to read:

597.4. (a) Any person who knowingly engages in field coursing is

guilty

of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for a

period

not to exceed six months, by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars

($1,000), or by both that imprisonment and fine.

( For the purposes of this section, "field coursing" includes any

activity in which a dog is left untethered and allowed to track and

pursue

any rabbit, hare, or fox and that results in the injury or death of the

rabbit, hare, or fox.

If you are concerned that this could impact your breed, please write your state legislators.

Karin

[kcsdogs]

Wow that is harsh does anyone know if this is am isolated thing or are there more laws like this around the country? I live in Oregon. Will this outlaw earthdog events in California?

[bradl]

I heard that some greyhound folks were coursing rabbits. It should not affect earthdog as the quarry are not harmed in earthdog - indeed they are well protected and generally die of old age.

The legislation is disturbing as it is further encroachment on natural hunting.

[Kari]

Update:

CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLY BILL 2110 by former Berkeley Mayor, now Assembly

Member Loni Hancock (D-14) to create a new Penal Code Section 597.4

to criminalize "open coursing" as animal cruelty as a misdemeanor

offense and passed out of the Assembly Committee on Public Safety,

moves on to the Assembly Committee on Appropriation. In his lead

support testimony, Humane Society of the United States President

Wayne Pacelle claimed to represent 1,131,000 Californians. Echoing

this bill's conflicting realities, HSUS's electronic

newsletter "Humanelines" re-titled AB 2110 as "CA A.B. 2110 Harassing

Wildlife" and urged support in its "Action Alert! California:

Prohibit Wildlife Harassment".

As I understand it, this proposed bill has passed out of committee by a vote of 4-3 in favor of the bill. This issue is now being argued more and more on the grounds that it is harrassment of wildlife and animal cruelty, a very emotional appeal for many people who do not necessarily know the facts. Today it is about open field coursing, tomorrow it can be about emotional stress on rats in cages or any other type of hunting with dogs of various breeds. IMHO it is important for all of us in the dog world to remain alert to what is happening, stand together and make our voices heard. I can't speak to other states, but I will assume that once one state enacts this type of legislation, other states will follow...