Petition seeks ban on dogs hunting bears

RENO (AP) — Critics of Nevada’s black bear hunt want to ban hunters from using dogs to chase down the animals.A coalition of opponents has submitted a petition to the Nevada Wildlife Commission seeking a regulation to prohibit the practice. Kathryn Bricker of NoBearHuntNV.org says that using dogs to help hunters kill bears goes against the ethics of a fair chase.The commission will consider the petition when it meets Dec. 7 in Reno. That meeting will also be the first for newly appointed commissioner Karen Layne, the first animal advocate to serve on the nine-member panel. She was appointed in October by Gov. Brian Sandoval.Layne is president of the Las Vegas Valley Humane Society and opposed Nevada’s bear hunt when it was established two years ago.