Virginia’s right to retrieve law marked yet another victory as the Virginia Supreme Court summarily affirmed the ruling of the Court of Appeals that the plaintiffs in this case procedurally defaulted on their appeal.
“This is a huge win for Virginia’s hunting dog community,” stated Attorney General Jason Miyares. “Virginia hunters treat their dogs as family, and there are fewer traditions more prized by rural Virginians than our hunting dogs. More than half of hunters in Virginia use hunting dogs, and fewer than 60 out of 6,000 hunting complaints involved trespass violations involving hunting dogs.“The right to retrieve has existed without incident in Virginia law for over 100 years. George Washington himself is credited with being the father of the American foxhound, the original brace being a gift of the Marquis de Lafayette. Virginia’s right to retrieve is a sound reminder that nature, tradition and neighborliness remain qualities we still value as Virginians.”
In January 2024, three hunting dogs were killed in King and Queen County, Virginia in what was described as a “hate crime against dogs” by local media. In 2019, a hunting dog was brutally killed by a Caroline County couple. Over 24 Virginia localities have passed resolutions in defense of right to retrieve as a rural Virginia tradition.
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