Suit targets California hunting rules that allow GPS on dogs

Animal rights groups are suing California over rules that allow animals to be hunted with the aid of hunting dogs wearing GPS tracking devices on their collars.

The Animal Legal Defense Fund says the hunting method is "cruel and unfair." The group says tracking devices allow dogs to chase prey to the point of exhaustion. Then hunters follow the GPS signal to find an animal that can no longer flee and is easily shot.

The lawsuit filed last week targets the Fish and Game Commission, which didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

The lawsuit says the rules violate environmental law because the commission failed to consider the effect on wildlife.

The rules also allow the use of "treeing switches" on dogs — devices that tell hunters when an animal has been chased into a tree.