Law enforcement officials say that too many involved today are allowed to just walk away

By Jon Dunn, Best Friends Animal Society

Gwinnett County Sheriff Butch Conway knows what goes on in his area. In the more than thirty years he has spent in the metro Atlanta county, he has seen population dramatically increase, and with that has come all sorts of new problems related to crime, including dog fighting.

“There are now 800,000 people in my county alone, and it is a diverse population,” said Conway. “So yes, there are people here who have that mentality.”

Conway has been a leader in the fight against dog fighting in the state of Georgia, offering his own money as a reward for any tip leading to the conviction of a dog fighter. The $10,000 has not yet been given away by Conway, and it's possible the inadequacy of the current dog fighting laws has played a part in that.

Recently, four men in Snellville, a city within Gwinnett County, were arrested for taking part in dog fighting. Conway said that, of the four, only one of the men was even charged by prosecutors. The current law is so weak, that the other three would have undoubtedly walked away.

“The only guy they could go after was the owner of the house. Even though it was clear that the other three men were involved, the level of proof is just too great, so there was no way we could charge them,” said Conway.

The proposed new law, however, would make it possible to prosecute even those who simply attend dog fighting events. Today, only those able to be directly identified as dog owners can face jail time. If the new law is passed, anyone caught breeding pit bulls for fighting and those involved in training the dogs could also face prosecution.

Conway said passage of this bill is critical if Georgians want to see dog fighters stopped. “This new law will be one of the best in the country. It will mean a lot of progress for the state.”

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Join this campaign!

Staying in touch with the latest developments is an enormous part of this campaign. Politics changes everyday so please stay informed by joining the Network by clicking here!. Once you are a member, please join this community by clicking on the, “join this community” link on the right side of the page. You can choose to be alerted any time a new story is posted. That is the best way to stay informed!

Sign the Petition!

For those of you in GEORGIA ONLY, please take the time to sign our petition. The results will be delivered to lawmakers once the session begins. Showing a strong amount of support is the best way to let lawmakers know how important this bill is. Again, we ask that only residents of Georgia sign this petition please.

Contact your lawmakers!

Please make sure you contact your Georgia lawmakers. Letting them know that there are people in their respective districts that support the legislation is a great way to let them know that they need to vote for the bill!

Please use the following link to find out who your lawmakers are (use the zip +4 search box on the left), and then look under the resources tab above to find a sample letter that you are more than welcome to use as a template. Again, a show of force is so important in a political campaign, so make sure to tell your friends to e-mail their representatives too!