May 2008          

Paws Up!

To U.S. Governors Sonny Perdue and Tim Kaine for their humane decisions to enforce harsher dog fighting laws in their states. 

Georgia Governor Purdue signed a bill into law on May 6 making dog fighting a felony, punishable by up to a $5000 fine and five years in prison.  This new law enforces harsher penalties for people convicted in the following dog fighting related activities: owning, possessing, transporting, or selling dogs with the intent of using them for dog fighting; attending a dog fight; and betting on, advertising, or promoting dog fighting.

Virginia Governor Kaine signed a law enacting tougher penalties for criminals convicted of dog fighting. Already illegal in Virginia, dog fighting is now added to the list of crimes that may be prosecuted under Virginia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act (RICO). This Act targets organized crime such as drug dealing and gambling, and provides authorities with increased abilities such as: more investigatory power, extended statutes of limitations, longer sentences, larger fines, pre-conviction asset freezes, and forfeiture of assets related to dog fighting activities. 

The National Humane Education Society applauds Governors Perdue and Kaine, and hopes other states will follow the example set by Georgia and Virginia. Check your state’s dog fighting laws in the Humane Society of the United States article, http://www.hsus.org/acf/fighting/dogfight/ranking_state_dogfighting_laws.html, and contact your state officials today!