A new law has been passed in Pennsylvania that makes several changes regarding dog training areas, including providing protections for dogs actively training or participating in field trials. The law will go into effect in late January 2016.
Highlights of the new law include:
- Making it unlawful for anyone to “willfully, negligently or maliciously” kill, injure or interfere with a dog engaged in training or field trials within a designated dog training area, or to “negligently and maliciously” interfere with a person training dogs, participating in field trial events, lawfully hunting or trapping in a dog training area.
- Prohibiting anyone from “willfully, negligently or maliciously” destroying or removing any equipment, buildings, facilities or vegetation in a dog training area.
- Changing the minimum area for dog training areas to 50 acres (Previous law required dog training areas to be between 100 and 250 acres. The maximum area is not changed in this bill).
- Requiring written permission from the permittee of the dog training area before entering a dog training area or trapping any game or wildlife in a dog training area. Hunting or trapping furbearers or other protected game may be allowed in certain seasons as established by the Pennsylvania Game Commission with written permission. Written permission would also be required prior to hunting big game in a dog training area, unless the area has obvious signage stating that the area is open to the public for big game hunting.
- Requiring that any roadways, vehicle entrances or pedestrian pathways entering or bordering a dog training area be clearly marked prior to October 1 each year with either “no trespassing” signs or notices informing trespassers of the purpose of the area.
Act Number 65 (Formerly Senate Bill 77) can be read in its entirety here. For more information on the new law and the laws and regulations regarding field trials and dog training areas in the Commonwealth, contact the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
A new law has been passed in Pennsylvania that makes several changes regarding dog training areas, including providing protections for dogs actively training or participating in field trials. The law will go into effect in late January 2016.