The wretched lives of "hunting" dogs in the Jura

It is in the Jura where the barks of desperation of twenty-two "hunting" dogs set our alarm bells ringing. No one seemed to be concerned about their existence, and with good reason. Their enclosure is in the middle of woodland, hidden from view, two kilometres from the nearest village.

Twenty-two dogs suffering

They live in squalid conditions. They are left to themselves, hidden away on a piece of land littered with debris and abandoned objects, with no shade and no protection from the wind. Crammed into thirteen open pens, they are confined in pairs all day long in these minuscule spaces. As for shelter, they only have an old leaky wooden kennel that does not protect them from the heat nor from low temperatures that drop to almost -20°C in winter. Without any space to play, they are constantly going around in circles among their excrement in pens that have not been cleaned for days. They live on concreted ground, with neither drainage nor litter. Carcasses close by leave one to imagine that they are fed with what is left over from the hunt. Their "dog bowls" consist of old buckets containing green stagnant water, undoubtedly replenished by rainwater.  

Some dogs are sick and must be in real agony. Given their conditions, they have probably not received veterinary care for months. We showed our images to an independent veterinarian for an expert opinion. One of the dogs has a sunken right eye, and one of the females has a very large mammary growth that is probably cancerous. Not content with exploiting the dogs for hunting, it is highly likely that the owner is breeding them too since the female has been shut in with a male.

A longstanding situation

Despite having been alerted for eight years now, the county veterinary services are not acting. When contacted again in recent weeks, the local authority did not wish to take action, which is telling of how little value is placed on the lives of these animals. We could not wait any longer. We filed proceedings against the owner demanding the removal of all the dogs.

The fate of these "forgotten" dogs

The case of these dogs in the Jura, the latest to date, is far from an isolated one. We previously told you about the dogs of the hunter in the Perigord - we're still campaigning about them - and also those of the hunter in the Morbihan. As for the authorities, they continue to repeat the same refrain that these are “just” hunting dogs.  

Given how protected hunters are, it is not surprising that they can continue to treat these dogs as objects without being bothered in the slightest. "Hunting" dogs must have the same protection as our faithful four-pawed companions. "Hunting" dogs too are highly sensitive and loving, and need care and attention. Although we are still a way off, we are fighting for them.

We have just submitted our proceedings on their behalf.

Translated from the French by Mahersh Shah