Dog fighting in the United States
In April 2007, the illegal activity received widespread attention after evidence surfaced suggesting professional football player Michael Vick had a dog-fighting ring operating on his property.
[8] By the late 20th century, as dog fighting became more popular in the poor areas of major U.S. cities, research and investigations revealed strong links with connected with street gangs and social ills, enforcement efforts increased.
In addition to the controversial treatment a dog receives when he has potential as a fighter, according to a filing in U.S. District Court in Richmond by Federal investigators in Virginia, which was obtained under the Freedom of Information Act and published by The Baltimore Sun on July 6, 2007, a losing dog or one whose potential is considered unacceptable faces "being put to death by drowning, strangulation, hanging, gun shot, electrocution or some other method".
[12][13][14] During the furor arising around the Bad Newz Kennels investigation in Virginia in 2007 and revelations of extreme brutality there, even such diverse notables as hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons and the Reverend Al Sharpton joined with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) in calling for strong stands against animal cruelty, jointly stating: Today, we sound a clarion call to all people: Stand up for what is right, and speak out against what is wrong.
Often, bait animals are stolen pets, as officials with the Sheriff's Department in Pima County, Arizona say they were shocked to discover a few years ago, according to a story by National Geographic News.
Before the Federal law was passed, New York already had issued felony penalties up to four years to individuals fighting any types of animals, but some other levels of participation were only misdemeanor offenses.
[26][27] In May 2007, a new Federal law went into effect making interstate dog fighting activities felonious and providing for imprisonment and imposition of large fines.
[28][29] The United States Humane Society estimates that more than 40,000 people across the country buy and sell fighting dogs and are involved in dogfighting activities.
[31] The Chicago Sun-Times reported that an analysis during a study by the College of Law at Michigan State University found that, in more than two dozen raids on dogfights, in virtually every instance police also seized illegal narcotics and weapons.
"Law enforcement is realizing it's a real community problem, intertwined with other crimes such as drugs and gambling," John Goodwin, an official with the Humane Society stated in an interview for the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot newspaper published in June 2007.
[31] In Chicago, Illinois, a special police unit is devoted to investigating cases of abuse due to the connection between dog fighting and other gang crimes.
[34] In the late 2000s, NFL quarterback Michael Vick was linked to property in southeastern Virginia where authorities believe a multi-state dog fighting operation was based.
In an interview with WAVY-TV, Portsmouth, Virginia, Washington Redskins running back Clinton Portis and a teammate, offensive tackle Chris Samuels, defended Vick.
"[30] Rhonda Evans is a sociologist and associate professor in the department of criminal justice at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette who has published four academic articles on dog fighting.
She stated in a story published by the Palm Beach Post that she had found that owners of high-dollar fighting dogs spanned all walks of life and social classes, with a common link of "a machismo mentality."
In the early 1900s, the U.S. proudly used pit bulls on WWI posters to symbolize qualities that make up America - friendly, courageous, hard working and worthy of respect.
"[37] In recent times, a combination of animal rights groups and law enforcement agencies have drawn new attention to dog fighting and related criminal activities in the United States.
A story in the New York Daily News published on June 10, 2007, stated "dog fighting is a multi-million-dollar industry that is part of an underground subculture that holds its events in secret locations.
[39][40] On April 24, authorities in Pass Christian, Mississippi raided a large dog fighting training compound owned by Maxwell Landry.
According to several news stories on local television station WLOX, 17 persons were arrested and fighting dogs from Louisiana, crack cocaine and several other illicit drugs were found at the scene and confiscated.
After the area was damaged as a result of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, he moved to the Harrison County, Mississippi site, located about 8 miles (13 km) north of Interstate 10.
Property owner Landry was one of 14 people named in a Federal drug trafficking indictment involving activity between Mississippi, Louisiana and South Carolina.
"[41] On July 2, agents of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) filed court documents describing a five-year operation of an interstate dog fighting ring which called itself "Bad Newz Kennels" and had been based at Vick's property.
[42] On July 17, Vick and three men described as his employees were indicted by a Federal grand jury for "conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities and to sponsor a dog in animal fighting venture".
In June 2007, a circuit court judge in Richmond, Virginia imposed a four-year prison sentence and $20,000 in fines on 40-year-old Stacey A. Miller, an Army veteran and convicted dog fighter.
[18][19] On July 13, 2007, police in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois rescued 37 fighting dogs from a heavily insulated and ventilated old chicken coop behind a house in the village of South Holland.
The Tribune reported that the neighbor said that he told the investigator "...the place was like a gas station, people coming and going constantly at night...I thought maybe he was dealing drugs."
Sheriff Dart said it was clear that the 29-year-old homeowner was an active ringleader on the dog-fighting circuit, breeding fighting dogs while renting out others for matches and raking in hundreds of dollars each time.
Sheriff Dart said that although Taylor is thought to have bred and trained the dogs to sell or rent there, evidence did not indicate that any dogfights took place at the South Holland location.
Kerry wrote to Commissioner Roger Goodell: Dogfighting is one of society's most barbaric and inhumane activities.Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, also said he planned to introduce anti-dogfighting legislation.
