©The HSUS
	John Goodwin is manager of animal fighting issues for The HSUS's Animal Cruelty and Fighting campaign.

John Goodwin is the manager of Animal Fighting Issues for The HSUS's Animal Cruelty and Fighting Campaign. He is a nationally recognized expert on animal fighting issues who has been involved in the passage of both state and federal legislation to curb animal fighting. Additionally, he played a major role in the passage of bills outlawing cockfighting in Louisiana and New Mexico, the last two states to ban the bloodsport. Goodwin's investigative efforts have led to the arrests of hundreds of individuals involved in illegal animal fighting rings.

In January 2007, Goodwin worked closely with the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office and the Virginia State Police on a raid on the South Hill cockfighting pit in Boydton, Va., where 145 people were arrested. Later that year, Goodwin collaborated in the investigation and raid of a large Ohio dogfighting pit and seven fighting dog kennels based in the Dayton and Cincinnati areas. That investigation culminated in one of the largest and most successful criminal animal fighting crackdowns in U.S. history.

In June 2005, Goodwin assisted the FBI and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations in a raid on what is believed to be the nation's largest illegal cockfighting pit. In late 2004, he assisted law enforcement authorities with the confiscation of 95 dogs from a South Carolina breeding operation that provided animals for hog-dog fights. He also led efforts to stop a Kentucky-based cockfighting organization from raising funds through a Toyota dealership that was donating $500 for every truck sold to one of their members. 

Goodwin, who has been active in the field of animal protection since 1989, joined The HSUS in 2000 as a staff member in The HSUS's Government Affairs department. In that capacity, he helped manage campaigns to pass or defeat animal-related ballot initiatives in several southern and western states.

Mr. Goodwin has been quoted in numerous newspapers on animal-fighting issues and has appeared in over 200 news broadcasts, radio interviews and televised debates regarding animal protection issues. He has been featured in coverage from Fox News, CNN, NPR, Court TV, MSNBC, ESPN, the Associated Press, USA Today and The New York Times.