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We\u2019re going to court! Animal Justice has filed a lawsuit against the Ontario government over its decision to issue three penned dog hunting licences that appear to allow penned dog hunting facilities to operate in violation of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act<\/em>.<\/p>\n In the lawsuit, Animal Justice is asking the Court to void three licences which appear to allow facility owners to release English foxhounds, American foxhounds, coonhounds, bloodhounds or harriers in pens in which red foxes are used as bait, allowing dogs of these breeds to terrorize foxes as they track and chase them for \u201ctraining\u201d as well as in competitions for prizes.<\/p>\n Regulations under the Act prohibit using these larger breeds of dogs in penned hunting contests (or \u201ctrials\u201d) where red foxes are bait unless the facility meets size requirements, which these three facilities do not meet.\u00a0<\/p>\n In penned hunting facilities, dogs regularly catch captive wild animals, injuring them, mauling them, and even killing them.\u00a0Ontario is the only jurisdiction in Canada that allows facilities to keep wild animals, including coyotes, foxes, and hares, in fenced areas to be used to \u201ctrain\u201d hunting dogs.\u00a0Because of the cruelty involved, the archaic practice is also banned in most US states.\u00a0<\/p>\n In public, participants claim the facilities are used only to \u201ctrain\u201d dogs, and that captive wildlife are safe from injury.\u00a0But a 2023 Animal Justice investigation<\/a> uncovered the dark reality\u2014dogs regularly injure, maim, and maul terrified wild animals who have no way to escape. The shocking investigation shows terrified animals running for their lives as they are hunted by packs of dogs, as well as hunters admitting that dogs frequently chase and maul live animals in enclosures, and that pen owners have to bring in new coyotes to restock the pens, because dogs catch them throughout the year.\u00a0It also shows private Facebook groups where hunters shared disturbing photos and videos of dog hunts, including a man smiling at the camera while standing on a coyote\u2019s head with a fence in the background and videos of hunters encouraging dogs to maul dying coyotes.<\/p>\n Animals kept captive and used as bait at these facilities are at risk of some of the most horrific suffering imaginable.\u00a0Having more space to escape and cover to hide in pens helps increase the chances that these animals will be able to get away from larger and faster dogs trained to chase and hunt them.<\/p>\n \nA Brutal Bloodsport<\/h2>\n