TN Senate bans hog vs. dog fights
WATE:
The state Senate approved a proposal Wednesday make dog versus hog fights a felony Thursday.
Bill sponsor Sen. Douglas Henry contrasted the hog dog matchups with what he considers to be more fair fights. The 80 year old Henry told 51 year old Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey that a fight between the two lawmakers would be a fair fight.
Henry said the hog dog fights, meanwhile, are stacked against the swine and it was a form of torture.
People convicted of using swine in fights could be sentenced to up to two years in prison under the proposal.
The companion bill is scheduled for a vote in the House Agriculture Committee next week.
As someone familiar with hog hunting (though I don’t actually do it myself – me and politically incorrect dog are lovers and not fighters – get your mind out of the gutter), I wonder if there are actual fights or if this is a ban on training dogs to hunt? Hunters who hunt wild hogs with dogs usually have a captive hog or two that they use to train the dog to hunt with. The dog will be trained to run up to the hog, grab it by its snout or ears and hold it down. I’ve never known of actual hog v. dog fights, per se (which seems to imply gambling like cock and dog fights). Anyone know?
April 13th, 2007 at 1:10 pm
What I gleaned from talking to the Republicans at Blogger Day on the Hill is that some of them out east do think this is a backdoor attempt to shut down training for hog hunts.
You probably know more than I do, since I just know what I’ve been told, but apparently they do have hog v. dog matches where the dogs that chase down the hogs (not the ones that capture them) are put through their paces in public, but no hogs are actually harmed or even touched by the dogs.
But, no, I couldn’t find anyone who would own up to actually ever hearing of anyone doing what I suppose would be more properly known as, what?, hog baiting?
Anyway, that’s what I learned. In my opinion, it seems that outlawing the training of dogs to hunt hogs, if we’re still allowed to hunt hogs, is going to result in the suffering of more animals, since an improperly trained dog is liable to be killed by a hog, I’d think.
April 13th, 2007 at 1:14 pm
I was wondering if it was for (as you said) baiting or hunting prep.
April 13th, 2007 at 1:48 pm
[…] Say Uncle asks the following in light of the TN Senate’s decision to outlaw “Hog/Dog Fig…: As someone familiar with hog hunting (though I don’t actually do it myself – me and politically incorrect dog are lovers and not fighters – get your mind out of the gutter), I wonder if there are actual fights or if this is a ban on training dogs to hunt? Hunters who hunt wild hogs with dogs usually have a captive hog or two that they use to train the dog to hunt with. The dog will be trained to run up to the hog, grab it by its snout or ears and hold it down. I’ve never known of actual hog v. dog fights, per se (which seems to imply gambling like cock and dog fights). Anyone know? […]
April 13th, 2007 at 2:39 pm
knowing a thing or two about hogs, it seems to me that most dogs would lose a fight between a dog and a hog. Maybe a pack is different, but hogs can be pretty damn tough animals.
and their not small either.
April 13th, 2007 at 2:45 pm
counter, depends on the dog. i’ve seen some hog catching and it is one dog on one hog. the dog usually wins. rather impressive that a 70 pound dog can take down a 200 pound hog.
April 13th, 2007 at 4:57 pm
I’ve heard that “hog baiting” actually exists as something other than hunting dog training, but I couldn’t confirm personally.
I couldn’t tell you about the TN Senate’s motives, but such an activity evidently exists.