The HSUS Praises Wyoming for Making Animal Fighting a Felony Crime

March 4, 2008

Dogfighting Now a Felony Nationwide

The Humane Society of the United States applauds Governor Dave Freudenthal and the Wyoming state legislature for passing a law that makes it a felony to engage in dogfighting or cockfighting. This makes Wyoming the 50th state to designate felony-level penalties for dogfighting and the 36th for cockfighting. H.B. 46 was championed by Rep. Rosie Berger, R-Big Horn, in the House of Representatives and supported by Sen. John Hines, R-Gillette, in the Senate.

"We applaud Wyoming for aligning its animal fighting laws with the rest of the country," said David Pauli, director of the Northern Rockies regional office for The Humane Society of the United States. "Animal fighters will no longer find a haven for their sadistic practices in the Equality State."

Twenty-five states are considering animal fighting legislation in 2008. Of those 25, Wyoming is the second state to sign its animal fighting bill into law this year. Last week, Idaho became the 49th state to assign felony-level penalties for dogfighting.

Images of the bill-signing ceremony are available.

About Dogfighting:

• Dogfighting is a highly-organized criminal industry; more than 250,000 dogs are placed in dogfighting pits each year.
• The HSUS estimates that 40,000 people are involved in organized dogfighting and an additional 100,000 are street-level fighters.
• A Chicago Police Department study showed that 65 percent of people arrested for animal abuse crimes — including dogfighting — were also arrested for violent crimes against people.

About Cockfighting:

• Tens of thousands of people are involved in cockfighting nationwide.
• Common cockfighting practices include breeding birds for viciousness, drugging them to heighten aggression and fitting their legs with razor-sharp knives or gaffs resembling ice picks.
• Law enforcement raids across the country have revealed that cockfights, which are frequently attended by children, often involve gambling and, as a result of the large amounts of cash present, firearms and other weapons are also present.
• Law enforcement officials have documented a strong connection between cockfighting and the distribution of illegal drugs. 

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The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization — backed by 10.5 million Americans, or one of every 30. For more than a half-century, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education, and hands-on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty — On the web at humanesociety.org.