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Dogs scramble through underbrush during a hunt last year in Westmoreland County. Using dogs to hunt has become an issue in the state. MIKE MORONES/THE FREE LANCE-STAR View More Images from this story Visit the Photo Place

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Using dogs to hunt is just way of life for some ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICIALS: THERE AREN'T MAJOR PROBLEMS

The tradition of hunting with dogs has become an issue in Virginia. Misconceptions of the sport have fueled controversy, supporters say. Others say too many hunters disregard private property rights and sometimes neglect the animals

By DAN TELVOCK

Date published: 8/3/2008

By DAN TELVOCK

Caroline County veterinarian Jack Hammett has seen his fair share of hunting dogs.

Their health sort of runs the gamut, he said.

"I find that fox hunters care for their dogs very well," said Hammett, from Animal Clinic of Caroline P.C.

He has patched up hunting dogs struck by cars, with lacerations, fractures and eye injuries.

"A running dog will sometimes run a stick right through its skin and tear a hole in it," he said.

Virginia has a rich history of hunting with dogs. George Washington imported foxhounds into Virginia for hunting. In 1966, Virginia officials made the American Foxhound the state dog.

But recently, the way hunting dogs are used and treated has become a cause of concern. Rural hunters have clashed with new suburban residents. What was acceptable 20 years ago is becoming less acceptable to some now.

Just recently in Spotsylvania County, a judge ordered a veterinarian and the animal control department to return two hunting dogs to their Louisa owner after ruling there was no neglect. The veterinarian said the dogs were 20 pounds underweight with infections in their paws.

"These were walking bones," Animal Control Officer S.A. Duncan said in court.

In another case, two women face possible prison time after being charged earlier this year with stealing a deerhound in Richmond County. Annie L. Davis, 75, of Warsaw said she recognized the dog that Theresa Gordon of Callao found near her home last December as one she had rescued from an animal shelter a year earlier. Davis said she contacted the owner listed on the tag, but he told her he was in Maryland and could not immediately come to get the dog. Authorities later showed up at her door and said the dog had been reported stolen, she said.

Local animal control departments do not keep statistics on breeds that would help determine how many hunting dogs are abandoned. But most say they don't think it's a major concern. Stafford County Chief Animal Control Officer Michael E. Null said the countywide leash law there helps control the stray dog population. "During hunting season, we definitely pick up a few, but they are usually collared and they have tags with the kennel. I am not going to call it a problem." Sgt. Kenneth E. Harris, chief animal control officer in Caroline County, said officers do pick up stray hunting dogs, but it's hardly an epidemic. He estimated as many as a dozen stray hunting dogs could be picked up during a hunting season--far fewer than the number of domestic stray dogs he gets at any given time. He said most of the time residents call about stray hunting dogs that appear on their property. "You can tell when hunting season is over with because we start getting more hunting dogs," he said. Spotsylvania County Animal Control Director William Tydings declined to discuss whether officers are called to pick up a lot of stray hunting dogs during hunting season. "I don't even want to speculate on that," he said. --Dan Telvock

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Date published: 8/3/2008

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