Some times the best of intentions over-ride common sense.

Right now in state legislatures across the country are bills be submitted or drafted that would radically alter the way people keep and raise dogs.

But many of them will harm pure-bred dog breeding and kenneling - including those owned and used by hunters and sled-dog recreationalists.

These bills range from requiring (forced) spaying and neutering of dogs at four-months of age to prohibiting kenneling dogs outside for more than an hour at a time.

Much of this is designed to end puppy mills and eliminate the sorry over-abundance of dogs.

However, they snare the innocent dog owner who wants a pointer, retriever, hound or huskie.

These laws also happen to have the backing of such rabidly anti-hunting groups as the Humane Society of the United States, among others.

While no sportsmen wants to see puppy mills grind out potentially sickly or poorly cared for canines neither do they want to be trapped by poorly (or cleverly) written laws.

Read the fine print of such proposals before jumping on the bandwagon.

- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
jfrischkorn@news-herald.com