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© Lora Denis
© Spirit Dog Training Images CC BY 2.0
Operating facilities in Ontario with captured wildlife to hunt with dogs were to be phased out by law in 1997. At the time, there were 50 – 60 facilities which were grandfathered, but not allowed to be transferred, and no new ones licensed. Known as Train and Trial facilities, today only 24 of them remain in the province. These facilities are fenced-in areas that hold captured coyotes, cottontail rabbits and captive bred red foxes for the purposes of teaching and testing dogs tracking and hunting skills.
This past spring, the Government of Ontario tabled a concerning proposal to allow more Train and Trial facilities, and in June the legislation received royal assent.
Lobbyists with the Ontario Sporting Dog Association, who supported the expansion of these facilities, claim no animals are ever at risk at these sites or at trials. More recently though, leaked undercover footage by Animal Justice, a national animal law advocacy organization, shows a judge at a Train and Trial event speaking candidly of how hounds can outrun coyotes, catch and kill them. Large multi-day trials are held frequently at Mallen’s Pen, in Seeley’s Bay, ON, and the Brunswick Foxhound Club Facebook page shows trials this year had 173 dogs running together to hunt coyotes held in the pens.
After much lobbying from hunting groups with interest in Train and Trial facilities such as the Ontario Sporting Dog Association and the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, the Government of Ontario proposed an amendment to the Fish and Wildlife Act, 1997, (ERO-019-3685) “Proposal to allow the issuance of licenses for new dog train and trial areas and the transfer of licenses”.
During the public consultation period many people spoke up online and in the media, including two former Ontario conservation officers who had first-hand experience and concerns stemming back from 2006. In an interview reported by the CBC they told a story of not being able to intervene when they found terrified coyotes stuffed into dog crates being transported by trappers. That incident, and an officer witnessing, in an underground operation, coyotes injured or mauled to death at facilities where dog after dog was swapped out to fight them, eventually led to the shutdown of a Train and Trial facility. Coyotes had been found packed into a barn in that location.
The Ontario SPCA and Humane Society expressed concerns around distress, harm and death caused to animals in these facilities, and have formally stated their opposition to them and to the new legislation. The Animal Alliance of Canada, a non-profit animal rights organization, also opposed the legislation.
Most concerningly, the monitoring of animals held in these facilities is based on the principle of good faith by operators. As part of standard regulations, the facilities are supposed to keep track of what volume of animals are being used and what frequency their numbers are being replenished. But where is the accountability?
Animal rights groups point out that the cruelty begins with the trapping of wildlife. How many coyotes die before they make it to Train and Trial facilities, after being captured and transported? How much suffering are they forced to endure? How injured are they when they arrive, and how soon are hounds set loose on them?
As someone who has been involved in the dog sport world for the last 15 years, I can only imagine the abuse that takes place in these facilities. I’ve seen people struggle to maintain their temper with their domestic dog that they are training for sport; the coyotes at these facilities face unimaginable pain and suffering and distress, however long they live. Coyote penning disrespects nature and disrespects ethical hunting principles. It should have ended in 1997.
Laurel Creek Conservation Area © Carl Hiebert / Grand River Conservation Authority
I detest any unethical and cruel treatment of animals and have signed a petition to several politicians March 28 /2024. Below is what came back from Steve Clar’s office.
Needless to say, I find this type of response disturbing.
Clark, Steve
10:10 AM (6 hours ago)
to me
Hello Silvie,
Hope you’re well and that you had a great Easter weekend!
It’s completely incorrect to suggest that the proposed legislation will allow wild animals to be killed in captivity. Ontario is supporting professionals that train hunting dogs to only track specific game species, exercise dogs in the off-season, and run trialing competitions where dogs are scored by judges for their locating abilities. It is not hunting, and the game species are not to be killed.
Animals that have been bred for tracking and recovering need safe facilities to train. The fenced areas, which are many acres in size, are designed to keep both the wildlife and the dogs confined to a controlled area. Well-trained dogs are indispensable for locating, tracking, recovering and overall enhancing the outdoors experience, as they were bred to do. For example, retrievers were bred primarily to retrieve birds or other prey and return them to the hunter without damage.
All train and trial facilities are operated responsibly and meet strict regulatory requirements, including meeting care standards for wildlife.
Hope this clears things up!
Best.
Marshall Chapman
Constituency Assistant
Office of MPP Steve Clark
Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes
Office: 613-342-9522
Email: marshall.chapman@pc.ola.org
Hi Monica, Kayla here (author of the blog), while there were some petitions open earlier in the year, one thing that likely would make an impact would be writing your local MP as well as those who helped pass this to critize and hold them accountable. The minister of Natural Resources who helped pass this is Hon. Graydon Smith (https://www.ola.org/en/members/all/graydon-smith) Email: Graydon.Smith@pc.ola.org
Coyote Watch Canada previously did have a petition and they do a lot of education work to protect coyotes so they also are worth connecting with. https://www.coyotewatchcanada.com/site/home
Lastly Animal Justice is the group who got the undercover footage of the coyote pens, so you could also monitor their ongoing campaigns to see what they are up to in terms of trying to reverse this. https://animaljustice.ca/
The Ontario SPCA is also working on this and has been encouraging citizens to write their MP’s.
I do have sample letters and templates available if you would like to use or modify them. I can be reached by email at Canine.Kayla@gmail.com
Hi Peter, Kayla here (author of the blog), while there were some petitions open earlier in the year, one thing that likely would make an impact would be writing your local MP as well as those who helped pass this to critize and hold them accountable. The minister of Natural Resources who helped pass this is Hon. Graydon Smith (https://www.ola.org/en/members/all/graydon-smith) Email: Graydon.Smith@pc.ola.org
Coyote Watch Canada previously did have a petition and they do a lot of education work to protect coyotes so they also are worth connecting with. https://www.coyotewatchcanada.com/site/home
Lastly Animal Justice is the group who got the undercover footage of the coyote pens, so you could also monitor their ongoing campaigns to see what they are up to in terms of trying to reverse this. https://animaljustice.ca/
The Ontario SPCA is also working on this and has been encouraging citizens to write their MP’s.
I do have sample letters and templates available if you would like to use or modify them. I can be reached by email at Canine.Kayla@gmail.com
It is said that a society can be judged on how they treat animals. I am sorry to say that ours will be poorly judged by letting this type of sport proliferate to appease a very small segment of our society. History has shown us that bloodless animal sport is a myth. Unfortunately a few bad actors can demean all the others. Just because a sport is “bloodless” does not mean that it doesn’t cause pain and harm in other ways.
Re: “Proposal to allow the issuance of licenses for new dog train and trial areas and the transfer of licenses”. I presume the need to issue a ‘licence’ for such an inhumane practice provides some measure of appeasement to the issuer but otherwise provides no defence or excuse for the suffering caused. The practice is just an advance on organised dogfights except their valuable ‘sporting’ dogs are now much safer.
Maybe a petition?
Maybe a petition to end this practice?
Are there petitions against this? If so please link them