Marie Elena Potter

As a farmer who utilizes a livestock guardian dog (LGD), I oppose this bill. We have a small flock of Shetland sheep which is a very small breed of sheep. They would be very susceptible to predators without the use of our LGD. She is a Maremma which is a breed that does bark to discourage coyotes, dogs and other animals from getting close to the sheep. We chose this breed because they are protective without being aggressive which was important to us. Our dog is bonded to the sheep and lives with them full time. She is a working dog with a very important job. New Hampshire should not be discouraging farmers from protecting their flocks. I understand there are probably some people out there who abuse this privilege of using a livestock guardian dog but please don’t punish all of us farmers. It is already a difficult job. I would much prefer our dog barking and discouraging coyotes than having to go out and shoot them or suffering losses of adult sheep and lambs. Thank you for your consideration. Please vote no!