[DogAdvocat]

The President Signs Landmark Animal Fighting Legislation
May 3, 2007

Today, President Bush signed into law a bill that will help law enforcement rid the United States of dogfighting, cockfighting, and other forms of animal fighting.

Dogfighting and cockfighting crimes are rampant in the United States, with individuals arrested every week in scores of locations under state laws. The vast underground networks generate pervasive animal cruelty, drug trafficking, illegal gambling, public corruption and even violence and murder. The Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act, which passed Congress with large bi-partisan support, will give law enforcement a stronger tool to crack down on this illegal activity.

The fighting dog's life is full of misery.
"Animal fighting is a barbaric and inhumane practice, and it is fitting and appropriate that we now have a national policy condemning and criminalizing this form of organized animal cruelty," states Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States, which has led the national battle against animal fighting and been the primary advocate for this federal legislation.

The law takes effect immediately. It provides felony penalties for interstate commerce, import and export related to animal fighting activities, including commerce in cockfighting weapons. It will make it much harder for criminals who engage in dogfighting and cockfighting to continue their operations. Each violation of the federal law may bring up to three years in jail and up to a $250,000 fine for perpetrators.

Cockfighting is outlawed in every state except Louisiana, although there is mounting pressure in that state to ban the practice. Many states still have misdemeanor penalties for cockfighting. The federal law slaps felony penalties on interstate cockfighting trafficking, and this should provide an enormous deterrent for the tens of thousands of people involved in this criminal industry.
The law will have a devastating impact on major breeders of fighting animals, who depend on customers from all over the United States and abroad. Dog kennels rely on transporting their fighting dogs across state lines and across the world to customers. The new law should substantially curb the transport of fighting animals across state and U.S.
borders. The HSUS is already seeing some major breeders of fighting roosters cutting back on production.

The Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act will help end the export of fighting animals to other countries. Selling roosters to customers in the Philippines and other nations can be lucrative for American cockfighters. The new law puts increased pressure on the airlines to stop shipping roosters to cockfighting hot spots.

The new law had been introduced by Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Calif.), Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), and Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-Md.) in the House, and by Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.), Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) in the Senate. It had also been endorsed by more than 500 groups, including all major humane organizations, the American Veterinary Medical Association, the National Chicken Council, the National Sheriffs' Association, and more than 400 local law enforcement agencies covering all 50 states.

[ritabooker]

Glad to see it...Yay!

[MagicToller]

Oh good, the man did something useful

[Captbob]

Originally Posted by MagicToller

Oh good, the man did something useful

Probably the only thing

[iwantmypup]

Finally! He did something usefull / good / humane / and actually helpfull!

[Silverwolf]

At last he's done something worthwhile.

[Lorina]

Do you think he thinks this bill will prevent donkeys from attacking elephants?

[Chloef_2799]

HAHA.....good one Lorina!
Bravo to Mr. Bush.....something constructive!

[Curbside Prophet]

Originally Posted by Lorina

Do you think he thinks this bill will prevent donkeys from attacking elephants?

I'm sure he did the google on the "internets" to confirm this.

[Captbob]

Originally Posted by Curbside Prophet

I'm sure he did the google on the "internets" to confirm this.

Cheney probably did it for him....

[Chloef_2799]

Actually this is the third thing he did which I applaud him on....the first was setting aside that area near Hawaii as a protected habitat. And the other one was admitting he was wrong about Iraq.

[cshellenberger]

HMMM, I don't think this thread was about IRAQ. I think it was about a new law that was BADLY needed.

[xoxluvablexox]

VARY badly.
My sisters dog went missing, it's a brindle pitbull, and their neighbors friends admitted to raising heckled back pitbulls for fighting right infront of her. I wonder were her dog went. Animal fighting is something that needed to be stopped years ago but atleast someone is doing something about it now.

[SunSiberians]

Originally Posted by MagicToller

Oh good, the man did something useful

Hahaha, as much as I like to stay out of politics - that is the first thing that came to mind. lol

This is really good. I'm so glad and I hope they really use this for all that it's worth. No more slaps on the hand for these people - let's make them suffer. >.<