Born and raised in Maine, I’m proud of our slogan, “the way life should be.” Unfortunately, not all is as it should be. We still allow cruel and unfair practices for the trophy killing of our black bears.

As a dog owner, I couldn’t imagine sending my companion animal into the woods to chase down bears. Packs of dogs chase a terrified bear through the woods until it escapes up a tree or, in exhaustion, brutally confronts and maims the dogs.

Trophy seekers also use the inherently unfair method of baiting, dumping 7 million pounds of junk food in the woods, training bears to frequent the same spot. This is tantamount to canned hunting.

We can’t stop cruelty everywhere, but we can help stop it here with a “yes” on 1 vote on Nov. 4, the day all of Maine can become a less cruel place for bears and dogs.

Mike Angelone

Portland