July/August 2010

Gun Dog Forum
Enemy at the Gates
by Larry Brown

e have met the enemy, and they are us!” Or so go the immortal words of Pogo Possum, if I’m remembering them correctly. In this case, the “us” would be those who are allowing themselves to be conned by animal rights groups.
The particular group in question here is the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), or “PETA light.” In one sense, they’re a greater danger than PETA, because they’re less “in your face” and often more successful at portraying themselves as a mainstream group that only cares about animals. Where hunters are concerned, don’t believe it for a minute.

All one needs to do to see where HSUS is coming from is to check out their website. Among their stated goals:

• “End the killing of animals for sport and trophies.” That can sound okay to the non-hunting public. But although we eat what we kill, let’s face it: We’re not subsistence hunters. We’re out there for sport with our dogs, and HSUS wants to put us out of business.

• “End the killing of animals for fur.” Well, there go the trappers and the people who hunt raccoons, coyotes, etc. Given the population explosion in some predator species, what we need is more people killing animals for fur, not fewer.

So how is a group like this succeeding in pulling the wool over the eyes of reasonable people, including some hunters? The answer is simple: They adopt positions that no thinking person can oppose. They want to stop dog fighting and get rid of puppy mills. Anyone who doesn’t agree with either of these probably also has a problem with Mom, apple pie, and the American flag. Besides, they’ve recruited some star power to give them a hand with their anti-dog fighting campaign: NFL star (and convicted dog fighter, now reformed) Michael Vick, and conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh.

So, you may ask – assuming it’s not obvious to you – what’s wrong with Vick and Rush hooking up with HSUS on the issue of dog fighting? Think of it this way: It’s a bit like supporting Hitler before WWII because he was building great roads and putting a lot of unemployed Germans back to work. That would have meant ignoring the real goals of the Nazi Party, just as joining HSUS’s anti-dog fighting campaign overlooks all their other goals – such as shutting down hunting.

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