Prior to Michael Vick's arrest, most Virginians probably knew dog fighting occurred. The quarterback's connection drew attention to a blood sport whose prevalence and inhumanity likely surprised the innocent and the naïve. It seems safe to assume that few citizens have heard of fox penning.
Fox hunting, on the other hand, is not so obscure. It conjures images of hounds, pink jackets, English saddles and scenes from British fiction. A crucial incident in "Brideshead Revisited" tells how Sebastian bolted from a hunt to spend the afternoon in a country pub. In today's fox hunts, the pursuit may mean more than the catch, or so it is said.
Fox penning is altogether different. The practice involves the trapping of wild foxes, which subsequently are released into enclosed areas where they are chased by dogs. There is no escape. The dogs typically run down the foxes, and upon capture are not inclined by breeding or training to show mercy. Fox penning competitions are held to test the fighting spirits of the dogs. The dead foxes serve no purpose beyond the lust for blood.
The Humane Society of the United States opposes fox penning, as does the Times-Dispatch. There is no sport in the so-called sport. Hunting remains an altogether different proposition. Fox penning is kin to dog fighting, not to duck hunting or to the hunting of big game. HB695 and SB202 would prohibit fox pens but would not disturb legitimate forms of hunting. The General Assembly should enact the legislation into law. Humanity's dominion over the earth and its wildlife does not translate into a right to torture the beasts of the field.
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