After nearly 60 dogs found in suspected large-scale operation, new laws needed to deal with the epidemic of dogfighting and cockfighting
Tyler, TX — Animal welfare groups renewed their urgent appeal to Congress to pass the FIGHT Act after dozens of dogs were found in an alleged dogfighting operation, with many of them injured or otherwise in distress.
Authorities in Tyler, Texas, discovered nearly 60 dogs involved in a suspected dogfighting ring during a recent investigation. The Smith County Sheriff’s Office and Animal Control responded to reports of a dog seen eating another dog’s carcass at a property on CR 4136. Upon arrival, officials found over 40 dogs in poor condition, indicating possible use in fights. Detective Jacob Herman noted the dogs were malnourished, with visible injuries consistent with fighting, and found one with part of its jaw missing.
Further inspection revealed dogs with weights around their necks being trained on treadmills inside a shed lacking ventilation. Officials seized 59 pit bull dogs along with evidence of dogfighting operations, including weighted collars and veterinary supplies. Property owner Kerry Jones and his brother Michael have been charged with animal cruelty and other offenses, with Kerry being held on a bond of $560,000 and Michael on a $500,000 bond.
Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy, said he was distressed to see this large-scale animal abuse but not surprised, given the widespread nature of dogfighting and cockfighting.
“Dogfighting remains an epidemic in our nation, and we applaud the Tyler law enforcement for taking action and doubtless saving these animals,” he said.
“Dogfighting is almost always bound up with other crimes such as gambling and money laundering, trade in illicit drugs, and weapons crimes,” he said. “Cracking down on animal fighting of all kinds will make our communities safer.”
Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy are advocating for passage of the Fighting Inhumane Gambling and High-Risk Trafficking (FIGHT) Act (H.R. 2742 and S. 1529). Officials there say it is critical legislation that addresses a pervasive and deeply troubling issue: the rampant and barbaric practice of animal fighting, which is inextricably linked to a host of other serious crimes.
In addition, cockfighting, an enduring American scourge, plays a significant role in exacerbating the American border crisis. U.S.-based cockfighters are deeply involved in a massive trade with Mexican cartels that control many major cockfighting venues south of the border. This illicit activity is creating a separate border crisis centered around animal trafficking, posing serious threats to both Americans and Mexicans.
The prevalence of Animal fighting is so severe that it has garnered the support of more than 300 national, state, and local law enforcement agencies, including: National Sheriffs’ Association and the National District Attorneys Association. It also been endorsed by law enforcement agencies across Texas: Angelina County District Attorney’s Office, Atascosa County District Attorney’s Office, Brazos County Sheriff’s Office, Calhoun County District Attorney’s Office, Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office, Collin County District Attorney’s Office, Collin County Sheriff’s Office, Cooke County Sheriff’s Office, Crane County District Attorney’s Office, Dallas County District Attorney’s Office, DeWitt County District Attorney’s Office, Falls County District Attorney’s Office, Falls County Sheriff’s Office, Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, Freestone County Sheriff’s Office, Frio County District Attorney’s Office, Gillespie County District Attorney’s Office, Goliad County District Attorney’s Office, Grimes County Sheriff’s Office, Harris County District Attorney’s Office, Harris County Sheriff’s Office, Hill County District Attorney’s Office, Howard County Sheriff’s Office, Johnson County District Attorney’s Office, Karnes County District Attorney’s Office, Kerr County District Attorney’s Office, Kerr County Sheriff’s Office, Kinney County Sheriff’s Office, La Salle County District Attorney’s Office, Lampasas County Sheriff’s Office, Milam County District Attorney’s Office, Nacogdoches County District Attorney’s Office, Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Office, Nueces County Sheriff’s Office, Potter County Sheriff’s Office, Refugio County District Attorney’s Office, Rusk County District Attorney’s Office, Rusk County Sheriff’s Office, San Augustine County Sheriff’s Office, San Jacinto County District Attorney’s Office, San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office, Somervell County District Attorney’s Office, Stephens County Sheriff’s Office, Taylor County District Attorney’s Office, Terrell County Sheriff’s Office, Travis County District Attorney’s Office, Travis County Sheriff’s Office, Wichita County Sheriff’s Office, Williamson County Sheriff’s Office, Wilson County District Attorney’s Office, Winkler County District Attorney’s Office, Winkler County Sheriff’s Office, Yoakum County Sheriff’s Office, Zapata County Sheriff’s Office
“The FIGHT Act will do so much to curb animal fighting crimes,” Pacelle said. “It would ban online gambling on animal fights, allow courts to seize fighting pits and other property used by convicted animal fighters in the commission of their crimes, stop the shipment of fighting roosters through the mail, and allow law-abiding citizens to protect their homes and families by bringing civil suits against cockfighters and dogfighters when governmental authorities are too slow to act.”
A fact sheet on the FIGHT Act can be found here.