Blood Sport in the woods

Dear Editor,

It is a beautiful sunny afternoon here on the hill and then it all begins. First the sound of the hunting dogs barking and picking up the scent. Next, the ambush and the unmistakable sound of the Dog fight. What has just happened is the hunting dogs have ambushed the den of the coyotes leaving them with two choices. One is to stay and fight and the other is to flee, abandoning their pups, and ultimately being shot.

I am not naive. If the coyotes are invading and threatening your homestead, your family or your animals then they must be dealt with. However, this is not the case here on our hill. This is not being done by the people who live here. These are people coming from their neighborhoods to engage in this legal form of dog fighting or "sport" as they describe.

We share our land here on the hill with nature and animal lovers, horse riders, and legitimate forms of hunting. However, I do not allow this dog fighting to occur on my land since the day I saw the hunting dogs exiting my property with blood covering their legs and mouth. There is little I can do to stop this other than to let people know of this blood sport and to urge ALL my neighbors to prohibit this legal form of Dog Fighting on their land.

In the evening and early night, I often listen to the mysterious but beautiful sounds of the coyote. The howling of the adults and the high pitch chirping of the pups as they wait to be fed are as natural and fascinating as any creature. And here on the hill, it is occurring with no threat or interference to the folks who live here, but rather in the natural environment that the coyote has a right to survive in. So please neighbors, prohibit the outsiders from coming here and destroying it.

Sincerely,

Rance Brode

Owego, NY

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