All,
North Dakota has a bill (#1499) which is under consideration by the Legislature that would have a serious impact to professional dog trainers who go to North Dakota in the summer to train.
This bill would shorten the time a trainer would be allowed in the field by about one month.
If you summer camp in North Dakota, or know someone who does, please consider signing the online petition at the following link. (Your state of residence does not matter):
http://www.petitiononline.com/ND1499/petition-sign.html
To: North Dakota Legislators
Dear Sir/Madam:
I am writing in regard to House Bill #1499. We, the sporting dog community, have recently learned from the North Dakota Fish and Game that individuals in North Dakota began this quest to pursue changing the training date for professional dog trainers. It is our sincere opinion that the professional dog trainers who have come north each summer, and have for decades, brought with them the gift of fiscal assistance and long lasting friendships to many rural towns and their inhabitants, are unfairly targeted by this needless legislation.
These dog trainers substantially add to the local economies for the two to three months that they are in residence. Most are gone, returning to their southern environs, by September 15th. They travel thousands of miles each summer, possessed with the sole intention of making progress in the training regimen of their clients’ dogs. There is an essential need of a time span of approximately 40 – 60 days, starting after the 4th of July, to make progress with field trial dogs and hunting dogs alike. This time is the single most important training a dog can have in its life! National Champions and many good hunting dogs are made on the prairies of North Dakota. It is imperative to recognize that Professional Dog Trainers do not shoot the birds. It is similar to fishing and utilizing the catch and release method. Maintenance of the resource is paramount to the trainers! More importantly, evidence shows that partridge, grouse and pheasant populations have increased in the state and that these trainers have very little, if any, effect on the birds and their habitats.
The instigator and sponsors, clearly, have misjudged how many lives this legislation would affect. It is not just the trainers; it is the landowners, business owners and dog owners alike, who, yearly, support this sport. It is a sport that depends, profoundly, on the trainers and their relationships with landowners in the north. In North Dakota alone there are approximately 60 licensed professional trainers and the lives that are entwined with theirs are numerous. The effect of this legislation would surely, seriously impact the economies of these small towns!
We, respectfully, request that you consider, seriously, the ramifications of this potential legislation and decide that the cost is entirely too great to enact it. Thank you!