SENATE BILL 344 TO BAN WOLF HYBRIDS (dont they know that all dogs decended from wolves, therefore you could argue that all dogs are hybrids???? Just a thought)

The bill passed the Montana Senate 50 to 0 and will be heard by the House Fish, Wildlife & Parks Committee on March 17 at 3:00 RM 152. The legislation could potentially affect anyone with a northern breed dog (e.g., huskies, malamutes) since the Fish & Wildlife Forensics Lab in Ashland Oregon classifies any dog with one single sequence of wolf DNA a hybrid. The bill relies heavily on genetic testing. The woman who sent out the info this bill spoke with the chief researcher at UCLA working on genetic testing to differentiate dogs from wolves and he indicated the method is experimental, has not been published nor peer reviewed, and wouldn’t stand up in a court of law. The remainder of this post is from her:

According to the bill, existing wolf dogs of any % would have to be registered and tattooed and the state would have the right to seize any unregistered wolf dog and kill it at the owner’s expense. The legislation is in response to some incidents of sheep predation in eastern Montana over a couple-year period by what turned out to be, through genetic testing, a wolf bred in captivity and a wolf dog. Somewhere around 120 sheep were killed. Now the strong agriculture lobby and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks are supporting this breed specific ban. The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) of the USDA summarize sheep deaths from predators and non-predators and in the past 5 years, over 14,000 sheep have been killed from predators annually – 500-600 from dogs and an equal amount from wolves. In general, more sheep die annually from weather and disease than all predators combined. Banning wolf dogs will not end sheep predation.

With a unanimous vote in the Senate, it is extremely important to get the bill tabled before it goes to the House Floor. So, it is important to contact all members of the House Fish, Wildlife & Parks Committee and ask they kill this bill. The bill, sponsored by Representative Jim Peterson (R-Buffalo), can be viewed online at: http://data.opi.mt.gov/bills/2009/billpdf/SB0344.pdf

The easiest way to voice your opposition is to call (406) 444-4800 and ask to leave a message for the members of the House Fish, Wildlife & Parks Committee urging them to oppose HB 344. You can leave a single message that will be automatically printed and delivered to every member of the Committee. You can also send an online message at: http://leg.mt.gov/css/sessions/61st/legwebmessage.asp

If you know any of the committee members please send them a personal e-mail. Their direct e-mail addresses are listed below.

Please call in your support and e-mail the committee members that have supplied their e-mail addresses:

Van Dyk, Kendall (D) (Chair) kvandyk@mt.gov
Hendrick, Gordon (R) (Vice Chair) hendrickhd14@yahoo.com
McAlpin, Dave (D) (Vice Chair) mcdave94@gmail.com
Barrett, Dick (D) rnewbar@gmail.com
Beck, Paul (D) paul@beckforcarboncounty.com
Boland, Carlie (D) ccboland@bresnan.net
Boniek, Joel (R) (no e-mail) Home: (406)220-1240
Boss Ribs, Frosty (D) frostycbr@hotmail.com
Cohenour, Jill (D) utopiamt@prodigy.net
Milburn, Mike (R) mmilburn@mcn.net
Miller, Mike (R) mike4hd84@blackfoot.net
O'Hara, Jesse (R) jesse59404@yahoo.com
Peterson, Ken (R) kenneth59@bresnan.net
Phillips, Mike (D) mikephillips@montana.net
Pomnichowski, JP (D) pomnicho@montanadsl.net
Smith, Cary (R) cary@bresnan.net
Washburn, Ted (R) ted@tedwashburn.com
Welborn, Jeffrey (R) (No e-mail)245 Clarks Lookout Rd, Dillon, MT 59725-8234
Staff: Doug Sternberg, 406-444-4026
Secretary: Bryce Bennett: 406-444-4318