Polly Aruck

While well-intentioned, this bill would undermine the very purpose of livestock guardian dogs and create unintended consequences for small farms, homesteads, and rural property owners across New Hampshire. Livestock guardian dogs are not pets in the traditional sense. They are working animals, bred and trained over generations to protect livestock from predators—a job that occurs primarily at night, when coyotes, bears, foxes, and other threats are most active. Restricting their ability to work during those hours directly compromises livestock safety and increases the risk of loss for farmers. Strict enforcement standards—particularly those that limit movement, barking, or nighttime activity—interfere with the dog’s natural guarding behavior. Barking, patrolling, and responding to perceived threats are core deterrents, not nuisances. Imposing penalties or operational limits effectively neuters the dog’s role, shifting risk and cost back onto the farmer. New Hampshire is a rural state with active farms, homesteads, and working lands. Applying suburban or residential expectations to agricultural settings fails to recognize this reality. Many farms are located in areas where predator pressure is increasing, and livestock guardian dogs often serve as the only non-lethal, effective line of defense. This bill also raises concerns about enforcement overreach. Requiring rigid compliance standards invites complaint-driven enforcement, where working dogs could be penalized simply for doing their job. That is not compatible with the “Live Free or Die” principle that values personal responsibility, property rights, and minimal interference in lawful agricultural practices. Rather than imposing broad restrictions, policy should: • Recognize livestock guardian dogs as essential agricultural tools • Provide clear exemptions for working farms • Focus on education and neighbor-to-neighbor resolution, not punishment • Balance rural realities with reasonable consideration for surrounding properties Protecting livestock, supporting small farmers, and respecting New Hampshire’s rural heritage should not be sacrificed for one-size-fits-all regulations. This bill, as written, risks doing exactly that.