The Humane Society of the Huron Valley Praises Lawmakers in Michigan

Bills headed to Gov. Snyder's desk

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, November 29, 2012

The Humane Society of the Huron Valley Praises Lawmakers in Michigan
for Passing Animal Fighting Laws 

CodyANN ARBOR, MI – The Humane Society of Huron Valley was pleased to see that the Michigan House of Representatives passed tougher legislation on animal fighting.  S.B. 356 and S.B. 358 are on their way to Gov. Rick Snyder’s office for his signature.

“Dogfighting does occur across our state,” said Matt Schaecher, Director of HSHV Animal Cruelty Investigations. “Some of our community members may think Washtenaw County is immune to this despicable activity but the phone calls we’ve received over the last few years, and the investigations we’ve done unfortunately paint a much different picture. We are hopeful that these new bills will help save more animals from these horrible situations.”

Every state has different laws that dictate how animal fighting can be enforced by law enforcement. The bills that just passed in the Michigan House of representatives could position Michigan on the forefront of the toughest animal fighting legislation in the country. 

  • S.B. 356, authored by Sen. Rick Jones, R-Grand Ledge, makes it possible for any financial gains obtained from illegal animal fighting to be awarded to local government entities or the state. Because animal fighting is motivated by gambling profits and the sale of animals that are the offspring of fight winners, this bill would defeat that motivation.
  • S.B. 358, legislation by Sen. Steven Bieda, D-Warren will add animal fighting to Michigan’s racketeering statute. Dogfighting rings could be held to higher penalties based on this legislation. 

The other bill that is on its way to the Michigan Senate is H.B. 5789:

  • H.B. 5789 by Rep. Andrea LaFontaine, R-Columbus Twp., would make animal fighting a public nuisance. That would allow citizens or attorneys to bring a law suit against land owners using property for animal fighting.

“HSHV cares for many dogs that are victims of dog fighting,” said Schaecher. “Often dogs are used as bait, and offspring from adult dogs are forced as puppies to begin to fight against their will. Recently we received a call about an injured dog who we named Cody. His injuries appeared to be from being used by dog fighters. While we haven’t been able to find his abusers, we were able to save him from what would have been his own death.  These new laws give us more tools to find these criminals and make them pay for their cruel acts.”

“It’s important to know that dogs used or bred for fighting suffer greatly beyond the ring.  These dogs typically live a life of deprivation and abuse.  Plus, animal fighting is closely linked to other illegal and violent crime such as drug dealing, illegal weapons possession, domestic violence and child abuse.  This legislation will help us better protect innocent animals and help us create a safer community overall”, said HSHV CEO Tanya Hilgendorf.

 

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