Erin Brown

I oppose this bill as it unfairly targets homestead use of livestock guardian dogs. Homesteads are more likely than farms operate on less land and be affected by the terms in this bill. Homesteading can also be feasible on less than 1 acre and still require the use of a livestock guardian dog for predator protection, but this would not be permitted with this bill requiring a minimum of 1 acre per dog. In addition, the description of “nuisance barking” is vague and subjective. How can one determine and “document” whether there is a predator in the neighboring forest or not? Dogs have superior senses than humans, especially in darkness. Lastly, recording at the local level that someone’s dogs are livestock guardians is unnecessary record keeping of private information. If, and only if, there is a complaint, should the town become involved. Thank you for your time.