This organization was formed at a meeting held in Lindsay, Ontario on Sunday, March 7, 1999. Ninety seven sporting dog groups have become members of the OSDA, as well as hundreds of individuals and families. There is an imperative need for an
organization like this. There are too many fragmented groups of sporting dog owners, each with its own set of priorities. Sporting dog owners are becoming a
ware that we must unite to protect and defend our rights to hunt, train, trial, and simply enjoy our sporting dogs. We don’t have to participate in your sport to appreciate and defend your love of retrieving with labs, trialing and hunting with foxhounds, spaniels, terriers, beagles, pointing breeds etc. We realize that by defending your sport, we are protecting our own. We’ve recently seen what a small, well organized, and well financed, group of animal rights people can do when they were successful in shutting down the spring bear hunt in Ontario in 1999. We are concerned that sporting dogs will be the next target. There will be no aspect in the use of sporting dogs that these animal rights people will not attack. There is no question of IF your group or interest will be targeted, only WHEN it will be targeted. We must have the numbers and the organization to mobilize every sporting dog owner in Ontario the minute these attacks take place. Hopefully by being prepared we will be more successful in the defense of our rights. Already a broad spectrum of sporting dog clubs have joined The Ontario Sporting Dog Association. We need the support of every sporting dog club and individual owner of a sporting dog in Ontario to join us.
