🔍 What Is Captive Penning?

Captive penning — legally called “hound dog training enclosures” by the Wisconsin DNR — is the practice of confining live wild animals inside large fenced enclosures and releasing packs of hound dogs to chase, corner, and often kill them. The stated purpose is “dog training.” The reality is a commercial bloodsport operating under a $25 state license.

Under Wisconsin law, a hound dog training license authorizes the holder to purchase, possess, and use captive raccoons, bobcats, rabbits, hares, coyotes, foxes, and black bear for dog training purposes. These animals are trapped from the wild or bought and sold between facilities, then placed in fenced enclosures from which they cannot truly escape.

🪤 Where Do the Animals Come From?

Wild animals are trapped and funneled into these facilities through a network of buyers, sellers, and captive wildlife farm license holders. Because dogs continuously injure and kill the animals inside, there is a constant, relentless demand for fresh wildlife to restock the enclosures. This drives a black market pipeline directly connected to Wisconsin’s wild animal populations.

This is the same network behind wolf hounding, bear baiting, and wildlife killing contests. Same operators. Same political protection. Same animals.

📄 What the DNR Is Required to Do

According to the Wisconsin DNR’s own regulations and NR 17.045, every hound dog training enclosure facility is required to:

• Undergo a DNR physical inspection before a permit is issued — no exceptions
• Submit quarterly reports tracking all coyote, fox, and bobcat transactions
• Submit annual reports accounting for every captive animal — purchased, transferred, killed, or escaped
• Maintain veterinary documentation for any physical modifications to animals
• Keep all records available for DNR review upon request
• Ensure animals are only sourced through legal, documented channels

🚨 What Our Open Records Request Found

There are 37 licensed hound dog training enclosure facilities currently operating in Wisconsin. GLWA filed an open records request with the DNR seeking inspection records, quarterly reports, annual reports, and veterinary documentation for these facilities.

The result: Zero documented inspections. Zero quarterly reports submitted. Zero annual reports on file. Zero veterinary records.

Not a single one of the 37 facilities has been properly inspected or is in compliance with mandatory reporting requirements. The DNR has issued permits and collected fees — and done nothing else. We will go over exactly what this means tomorrow night.

📋 Tomorrow Night We’ll Cover:

• A full explanation of what captive penning is and how it works
• How wild animals are trapped and trafficked into these enclosures
• What the DNR is legally required to enforce — and has completely abandoned
• Our open records findings: 37 facilities, zero compliance
• How captive penning is directly connected to hounding, baiting, and wolf hunting
• Video footage — what actually happens inside these enclosures
• What GLWA is doing about it, and how you can take action

⚠️ Warning: Disturbing Content

Watch: What Happens Inside a Captive Penning Facility

This is the reality behind the $25 license. This is what the DNR is not inspecting. This is what Great Lakes Wildlife Alliance is fighting to end.

▶ Watch the Video

Join Us Tomorrow Night

Wednesday, March 11 · 6:00 PM CT

🔗 Click to Join the Meeting

Or copy: https://meet.google.com/fpw-vegq-ppf

📞 Dial-in: +1 475-441-4836  |  PIN: 638 339 168#

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