Milestone Against Dogfighting

	©Grace Chon/Shine Pet Photos
	Pit bulls and the people who love them are jumping for joy now that dogfighting is a felony in all 50 states.

By Ariana Huemer

Although dogfighting has long been illegal throughout the United States, it wasn’t until 2008 that a handful of states that still considered the crime a misdemeanor changed the offense to a felony crime.

In February, Idaho made dogfighting a felony offense. In March, Wyoming declared dogfighting a felony. What's more, legislators in at least 25 other states are considering legislation to strengthen existing animal fighting laws.

There remain no more refuges in the United States for those wishing to profit from the suffering and death of man's best friend.

Decades of Work

This milestone marks a long-standing legislative campaign by The HSUS and other animal protection groups to up the ante for dogfighting criminals. As recently as 1975, dogfighting was a misdemeanor in all states. By 1995, that number dropped to 16. Today that number is zero.

"Legislators in Idaho and Wyoming are to be commended for their commitment to ridding their states of the scourge of dogfighting," said John Goodwin, The HSUS' manager of animal fighting issues. "Pitting animals against each other, tormenting them into viciousness, deserves the strictest sentencing."

While animal cruelty issues always resonate with the public, the outcry over the Michael Vick debacle helped create the impetus for legislatures to pass animal fighting laws in line with public sentiment. Now, with the consensus of all 50 states, dogfighting criminals in the U.S. will either change their ways or find themselves paying dearly for their crimes.

What You Can Do

Congress is considering federal legislation that will further increase the penalties for dogfighting. Contact your U.S. Senators and U.S. Representative and ask them to support H.R. 3219, H.R. 3327 and S. 1880.

Ariana Huemer is cruelty case manager for The Humane Society of the United States.

See the Video

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Related Links

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