This is my thought…..without information, removing the fences may make some feel better about the issue, but may result in worsening conditions for the animals they want to protect.

But, I believe that the Virginia Hunting Dog Alliance has created a duty to force the closure of the preserves on Sundays…..since, for years they and the VFBF have taken a “faith based” hard opposition stance against hunting on Sunday. I also feel that since deer hounds are also trained in the enclosures, those enclosures with deer populations should be forced by the DGIF to follow deer hunting season regulations for their county of residence. I understand that the intent is not to chase deer within the enclosure, even when deer hounds are being trained, but the enclosure itself sets a much different set of environment circumstances than would exist outside of the wire. Even if the Virginia Hunting Dog Alliance wouldn’t agree to my thought’s, definitely, any enclosure with coyote populations should remain closed during Sunday hours since it’s unlawful to chase (without intent) coyotes in VA on Sundays.

Thanks again Bryan, and I look forward to reading your comments.

Sandi, I understand your position, I disagree, but understand. I’m commenting, not to try and persuade you but to hopefully enlighten just a little. I believe that you are relying a little heavily on hearsay and rhetoric and, because of lack of investigation, a lack of understanding. Do you realize that the ‘training’ is for other pen hunts in which the activity is exactly the same. In other words, there is no ‘kill’? The dogs are merely scored in competition,which dog crosses the path first. The origin of fox hunting may have been for sport and the goal to kill the fox(in Europe to rid the countryside of chicken coop bandits and usefulness of the pelts). Killing is not and has not been the goal in this country for a long time.
Have you considered that the fox is a predator that chases down and kills its prey? Oh yes, they often play the cat and mouse game with it also, maimed and bleeding. Nature is a cruel neighborhood. Life revolves around chasing and being chased, killing and being killed. This is the life of a fox whether he is in a pen or not. We’ll talk about where his chances are best a little later. Yes, animals do experience stress and, I believe, to some degree emotion. However, theirs is not the same as humans who have a higher degree of understanding. Some of their stress is alleviated in the pen (necessities provided for). Foxes are very intelligent and this makes them an excellent quarry. This is actually a minimally consumptive sport in that very few are ever caught(I know this is not what you believe, but it is actually fact).
You may argue the point of ‘understanding’. If they truly had a higher level of understanding then why would so many foxes on the outside try to get into the pens? Do you realize that some of the highest fox densities are around pens and that foxes often try to get “in” the pens on a regular basis? I have witnesses of foxes that have escaped through damaged fences trying to get back into the pen they escaped from. They don’t realize the are in an enclosure, only that they have encountered a barrier to what’s in front of them.
I rarely hunt in pens but their contribution to the DGIF,the local economy and the community are far reaching and even more important in this struggling economy.
I love the foxes as well as my hounds, even with their lack of understanding. That’s what makes my dog an ever-loving, always forgiving companion who is always happy to see me. I also realize that they are part of nature and it is part of their nature to chase (as well as lick their backsides and even eat their children!)(I’m referring to the fox and the dog here, this is not a jab regarding any other political difference that we may have.)
I guess my bottom line with this thought is that God gave man dominion over animals. The Bible says it and I hope we can agree on the inerrant word of God. We bear some similarities but, as much as we love them, they are not human. The personification and inference that they have some sort of emotional equality to humans is a reach at best. They live in a harsh world, kill and be killed and they have no moral issue with it. That’s why God gave them canine teeth.
I think we need to listen to the biologists and game professionals and our decisions and comments be based on science and facts, not emotion, conjecture and rhetoric. I make this last statement to both sides of this issue. (and some politeness wouldn’t hurt. Manners cost nothing)

To simply close down the preserves without knowledge of how their current operation impacts VA’s fox population, or knowledge of how the closure of the preserves will impact VA’s future fox population, would be irresponsible at best.

Information is key to these decisions, and quite frankly the information we need likely doesn’t exist.

IMO, the animal rights interest made a huge mistake when they failed to compile statistical data that supports their claims. Their most damning claim is that foxes are being injured and/or killed within the inclosures. But they don’t seem to have strong evidence that this is the case in VA’s preserves. They don’t seem to have any comparison data to prove that closing the preserves wouldn’t increase what they are hoping to prevent.

It would be wrong for either side to jump to conclusions, wouldn’t you agree?

German Shepherds are often used for Law Enforcement and Military. They are exposed to dangerous situations where they are shot, run over by cars, and stabbed. Surely for the sake of your argument you can’t overlook those, just because you find that they are beneficial to human service.

What about Huskies and Malamutes? The ones that aren’t in the back yard, the ones that compete in the Iditarod, they are expected to travel great distances, in the cold. Some develop open and bleeding sores. Some go into shock. Some break legs. That is just for entertainment and sport, but a dog is involved, some of them don’t recover from their injuries. Do we ban that too?

Do you think all dogs should be lazy dogs lying around the house? Dogs are bred to do work and for companionship. Some dogs are bred for companionship, but that wasn’t their primary task.

Your arguments have nothing to do with Fox Preserves, they are just the easiest target. You seem to be against all working dog functions and all hunting dogs. You don’t see the ‘sport’ in it and that’s fine. That is your opinion, you are entitled to that opinion. Like I am entitled to my opinion that Golf isn’t a sport. Just because I don’t see the sporting component in it though, doesn’t mean I don’t think it has any merit.

Fox Preserve and Hound hunters aren’t asking you to go against your opinion. We are asking that you hold your tongue until you have first hand experience instead of being spoon fed information from the likes of the HSUS, PETA, and other animal rights/welfare activists that are biased. It only makes your own voice biased. And if you are against ALL hunting with hounds, then you do NEED to step back and say that you’re against ALL hunting with hounds and STAY out of our business completely, because that is your opinion and with that opinion you cannot justify your stance on Fox Preserves – because your opinion blinds you to the facts.

Let me say that almost all SPCAs do great work taking care of local animal shelters especially where there are none. Many SPCAs are funded by the locality. For instance Lynchburg City Council recently gave the Lynchburg SPCA $177,000 from their city budget to help the animal shelters. These SPCAs are not looking for glory or a newspaper picture. They are really helping to save small animals by medically treating them and through their adoption program.

Testimony given by HSUS and the Richmond SPCA calls fox preserves “Virginia’s dirty little secrets,” “savage entertainment,” “same as cock fighting,” “an embarrassment to the state of Virginia.” Preserve owners were called “un-Christian like,” “animal abusers” and many unmentionable derogatory names. To that end HSUS and the Richmond SPCA have demanded a moratorium on preserves and have even suggested muzzling dogs to prevent noise.

Giving testimony one lady indicated that she has been kept awake all day and night because of the howling dogs, and some have suggested that they have heard the screams of foxes being viciously torn apart. This hysteria is relayed antidotally or through common deceit, but some newspapers keep printing it.

Needless to say, foxpens are considered “low hanging fruit” so who will be the next? We can only guess its next target – eliminating dog lots, prohibiting the transportation of hounds, shutting down trapping, closing hunt clubs, eliminating bear chasing with dogs? While HSUS says it is not trying to ruin hunting, it appears to be their aim as in other states.

http://www.humanewatch.org

While DGIF has thoroughly studied the issue during the interim and while the Foxhound Training Preserve Owners’ Association has developed stringent preserve guidelines, HSUS says that only an absolute moratorium and muzzling hounds would suit them. They have lobbied their case to DGIF, the DGIF Board, the Governor, the Secretary of Natural Resources, legislators and the press, but a rare few or no HSUS members have visited a Virginia foxpens or requested to be a judge.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=BJ9UfsIAM9s

To place a moratorium on a legal sport is an indication that there is something to hide – some “dirty little secret.” To muzzle a running dog either in a preserve or out in the field is inhumane. It is VFTPOA’s position that if there is any discrepancy between the pen, the regulations and the permits, then DGIF should investigate that single activity and not punish all pens that are operating in accordance of the law.

HSUS says they have the money to kill penning and defeat legislators who do not support their issues. Threatening Virginia’s legislators? Yes. We say that while we don’t have the income or members this out-of-state organization has, we do have pen owners, dog owners, hunters, hunt clubs, veterinarians, store owners, hotels and others who have had a major economic influence on mostly rural localities.

HSUS indicates that the economic benefits only a few Southside, Southeast and Southwest Virginia counties so that doesn’t excuse what they scream as the “brutality of training and competing foxhounds.” We are not urban and we are not the “rich.”

Here are a couple of things you should do:

1) Go under http://www.change.org ; browse “petitions.” Under “search petitions” add “fox preserve” and vote. Your information is not disclosed to the public unless you want it to be. If you want to see what HSUS and the Richmond SPCA are doing search “fox pens.” This issue will not go away unless hunters and the NRA provide support.

2) By writing a simple letter to the editor of your daily and local newspaper – http://www.usnpl.com;

3) Meeting sports editors in your vicinity, tell them the truth and invite them to tour a pen or to be a judge;

4) Contact DGIF Board members – http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/about/board;

5) Contact the Governor at http://www.governor.virginia.gov ; the Attorney General’s office http://www.oag.state.va.us;

6) Call your legislators and members of the House and Senate Agriculture committee http://www.lis.virginia.cov “standing committees” “House and Senate Agriculture” and click on a name for contact information. They and the DGIF Board have the final vote on whether to close preserves or not.

7) Rally hunters, dog owners, trappers and hunt club members to do the same. Introduce the influential community members to fox preserves and how the issue would affect the future of hunting and the economy of Southside, Southeast and Southwest Virginia. Don’t be hysterical or antidotal. Tell them the truth. E-mail them pictures, permit info, geo maps, etc.

8)Don’t forget blogging any news article you can find, Facebooking and calling in your friends and organizations who understand hunting and what’s at stake.

United we can have a powerful voice in the Virginia legislature and most are seeing through the deceptions.