Legislators push dog-fighting laws (Georgia)

ATLANTA, Ga -- Legislators push dog-fighting laws

Critics worry breeders could be harmed
By Brian Hughes | Morris News Service | Story updated at 10:54 PM on

Saturday, March 17, 2007

Paw prints embedded in treadmills. Logs documenting pit bulls' weight. Thousands of dollars in cash stacked like bricks.

Although scenes such as these are not illegal in of themselves, some point to them as indicators that dogs are being trained to fight.

It wouldn't matter if they were used for such purposes. Training a dog to fight is not illegal in Georgia.

Frustrated by what they see as red tape in cracking down on dog fighting, prosecutors and law enforcement officials urged legislators to craft bills this year to help them catch trainers before they ever take their dogs to fighting pits.

Passed and adopted by the state Senate earlier this month, Senate Bill 16 would make it a felony to own or train dogs to fight, advertise or hold fights or bet on such events.

State Sen. Chip Rogers, R-Woodstock, the bill's sponsor, said he began his campaign against dog fighting after a 3-year-old boy in his district was mauled by a pit bull that had been trained to fight. The boy had to undergo eight facial
surgeries.

Rogers also said the state lags the rest of the nation in restricting the practice.

As of now, it is one of only three states, along with Idaho and Nevada, where breeding dogs to fight is not a punishable offense.

"Unfortunately, Georgia has gained a reputation as a place to come and fight dogs and get away with it," Rogers said.

For example, in November, Oglethorpe County authorities charged six men in connection with a reported dog fight near Lexington. All are out on bond, and the case is expected to be presented to an Oglethorpe County grand jury in May.

The two pit bulls involved in the fight were euthanized due to the severity of their injuries.

Despite occasional arrests around the state, it is the underground nature of dog fighting that makes it extremely hard to track, said Richard Rice, state program manager for the Humane Society of the United States.

"It's a tight-knit group of folks who handle these operations," Rice said. "They are very good at keeping the fights secret, and on top of that, we have one of the weakest laws in the nation."

Even if police are unable to catch breeders training the dogs to fight, Rogers said stiffer penalties could reduce the crowds at dog fights.

Under his bill, the practice would be punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of at least $5,000. A second violation would carry a jail sentence up to ten years and/or a minimum fine of at least $15,000.

A breeder's take

Tom Garner has been breeding pit bulls for 28 years and is recognized by canine-sporting publications as one of the largest in the business.

Owner of Tom Garner Kennels in Hillsborough, N.C., Garner said he has fielded plenty of requests from customers looking for fighting dogs.

However, he said he only sells puppies since most people looking for dogs to fight prefer a more developed animal.
Garner did acknowledge that some of his customers probably use the animals for illegal activity - but he also ripped some for what he felt was a mischaracterization of dog breeders.

"There are a lot of legitimate reasons for dog trainers to use treadmills and similar equipment," he said. "That is a fallacy (that they are used solely for fighting) promoted by the liberal, animal-control activists."

Garner said that such equipment is used consistently to help with weight pulling and conformation, the way a dog's appearance conforms to the standards of its breed in dog shows.

Rogers said authorities would look at the "totality of circumstances, " and added that workout equipment alone was not enough to warrant legal action.

Even with stricter legislation, Garner said it still would be easy for breeders to buy pit bulls specifically with the intent of using them for fights.

Huge problem

Personal-injury attorney Claudia Wilkins said the lack of convictions hides the extent of the dog fighting in the state.
"It's a huge problem," Wilkins said. "Georgia is one of, if not the worst, breeding grounds for dog fighters in the nation."
She said people are drawn from surrounding states because there's little risk due to what she said are lax penalties.
"They know if they come to Georgia and get caught, they'll just get a slap on the wrist," she said.

Georgia is the only state other than Hawaii where simply attending a dog fight is not illegal.

There is a bill similar to Rogers' making its way through the House. Sponsored by state Rep. Bobby Reese, R-Sugar Hill, House Bill 301 would give spectators of dog fights a less severe punishment - a misdemeanor for first-time offenders and a misdemeanor of high and aggravated nature for subsequent violations.

Reese said he originally sought felony status for spectators but was told by House Judiciary-Non Civil Committee members that the violation wasn't extreme enough to take away some rights, such as voting, that are restricted from felons.

If Rogers' bill is assigned to the same House committee, Reese said the penalty would be downgraded to misdemeanor status or fail to make it out of committee.

House Bill 301 is yet to go before the chamber for a vote.

http://onlineathens.com/login.shtml?...70318056.shtml

 

I hope ya'll are able to sqaush that....do you have any demo letters?

 

No! I'm sure we can work some up right quick though

 

I just don't get it.....you could be a show breeder of let's say Corgis, and have your dog on a treadmill and what not, no problem. But put your APBT on that same treadmill and suddenly you're committing a crime. I am so sick of the double standard. Unfortunately, owners of other breeds are not standing up for us as they should to tell these dim-witted good for nothing law makers that they too use these same practices and implements to get their dogs in shape for show. Were their dogs on the "chopping block", I bet we would be standing up for their rights......

 

You know, I really "HATE" it....People have nothing better to do but write Bills dogs that are categorized fir fighting. They get paid thousands of dollars to write or pass Bills to better this country or so and they come up with this junk. What is this world coming to? It's sad enought the BSL is already hitting around the stats banning Pitbulls like some places in CA and like Royal City,WA. I wounder if they are going to pass bills like "weight pulling harness are sign of animal creulty".

 

why not? The BSL Nazis already publish in their propaganda literature that pedigrees are a sure sign of dog-fighting......

 

This isn't a BSL type bill, it is a bill that will strenghten the punishment for getting caught fighting dogs, raising & training dogs for fighting purposes (which is already illegal in the state of GA), or owning equipment solely for the use of training dogs to fight. They will have to use it in conjunction with other findings and it is not intended to inhibit those that use the equipment or have the dogs for legal purposes. We have taken alot of time to have changes made so that we are better protected concerning the equipment issues. http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2007_08/fulltext/sb16.htm

 

It just seems to me they try and point to any kind of equipment used to get dogs in shape, of any breed, as some kind of evidence that it is being used to condition and/or "train" dogs for fighting where our dogs are concerned. If they want to toughen the laws against something that is already illegal, so be it, but why even bring up all the other stuff? Seems to me like the government is lurking ever further into our lives.........

 

all i can say is WOW,how sad.Little boy in a garbage bag,and theyre worried about some damn dogs.

 

I'm a bit concerned with the idea of prosecuting people for breeding dogs with the intent to fight. If I breed a dog, it goes to somebody, they match the dog without my knowledge, does that mean the authorities trace the dog back to me and proceed to investigate me for breeding fighting dogs? Or is it enough to breed dogs that have pit winners in the pedigree, or that look like they could get the job done?

 

Not good enough....why compromise. I say sqaush it!
Edit:I dont care what your stand is on dogfighting,in the end it wont matter....they have been allowed to chip away at these issues. We can not afford to give anymore.

 

That's the bottom line, intent! How would they know what your intentions are? So you get accused of having bad intentions, and suddenly your life is in the crapper? Innocent until proven guilty is no longer the way our justice system works. Intentions can never really be proven, so making your intentions a crime will mean they won't have to prove anything anyhow. Just what we need, thought police........

 

Puts me in mind of Miss Cleo advising the police. ROTF

 

Welcome to the world of reverse onus. Having to prove yourself innocent.......

Every time they pass legislations about our breed, or anything associated to our breed, they use the new law to take out a few yards. Once they have the dogs, they're dead. Half the time now they're dead before their off the property. Too late for your dogs when you win your case. The pattern has already established itself, many good dogs are dead already from this kind of shite.

I don't know about anyone else here, but I die a little inside every time i hear about it. It's bloody painful thinking about all the dogs that have died, not from anything they've done but because of what they are. Like any of them are better off dead!

"It's time to take the power back....." (Rage Against The Machine)

 

I love Rage infact they temperarily got back together....heard their new single I think it was last week....LOL

 

Just an idea..

What other laws and acts have been enacted that infringes on our rights as citizens?

I don't believe a group of people will be considered credible if they tried to confront the government concerning pit bull specific laws. A large portion of the public absolutely hates our breed. Therefore, those voters aren't going to really care if our rights are taken away. The government knows this. That is why the think they can do us any way they want.

Maybe if a group of people fought hard to expose all the liberties (including BSL and such) that are being infringed upon, more people will notice and actually give a damn.

The government is slowly trying to take away our rights by enforcing laws that the majority of voters don't really care about such as, BSL. Maybe we should try to show the world the whole picture. Let them know how our government is raping us and others of rights that are given to us by being citizens of this great country. Rights that were once claimed to be God given.

Maybe we should try to expose all of the acts and laws that are being enforced which can be considered unconstitutional. Hopefully this will light a fire under the public's ass.




What do you guys think?

There are many intelligent people here!
I am willing to put the site together if people are willing to contribute well written non-pit bull and some pit bull related material regarding this topic.

Also, does anyone know of any websites or forums that share a similar idea????



.

 

I think it would be great if we could reach beyond Pit Bull people and shake up the complacent majority. We could stick just within dog ownership and still have a strong case for excessive government. Spay/neuter laws, microchip laws, anti-breeding laws, anti-tethering laws, anti-hunting laws, anti-breed laws, anti-crop and dock laws, anti-guard dog laws, laws against dogs in public places, laws requiring certain restraints in cars, laws turning "owner" into "guardian," etc. Probably before long there will be anti-crating laws, laws against strenuous dog sports like weight pull and agility, laws against raw food so we all have to feed commercial kibble, laws against owning dogs if you have children. Even the laws that make sense are poorly written.

 

Gapits and I both made MANY appeals on this board to please write letters (and I already posted a demo letter at http://www.game-dog.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18786). She also posted a plea for everyone to PLEASE attend the public hearing with us and help us lobby at http://www.game-dog.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19364. NOBODY was there for our dogs except us, so I don't have a lot of patience for all this armchair quarterbacking. I know it's hard to miss work or whatever and put your butt out there as a target. I guess it's easier to sit on a message board and bitch.

 

................... Thank you, for posting the appropriate links. So that we can wright to your Ga officials.

 

I'm sorry to hear that idgie, I did not know you were the only doggers present. That is a crying shame, there are TONS of good dogmen/women in Georgia. Although I'm up in Illinois, I'd be more then willing to write (again) for you guys and girls, and would hope other members could do the same. Letters are great, but mean squat if no one is there to voice their opinions in person :x