Hawaii's Dog Fighting Laws Ranked at the Bottom

According to a recent review of state dog fighting laws by the Humane Society of the United States, Hawaii’s dog fighting laws are poorly ranked. Currently, Hawaii’s dog fighting laws result in meager penalties that do little to punish participants in dog fighting, and even less to bring justice for the animals that are brutalized in this cruel and torturous blood sport.

In light of the Michael Vick dog fighting case and with dog fighting, finally, getting some exposure in the news media, HSUS looked at the laws regarding dog fighting across the country and found that Hawaii ranked amongst the bottom five states.

The society says Hawaii stands with Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada and Georgia in the bottom five, allowing some aspects of dog fighting to go completely unpunished. It says what punishment there is in the states is little more than a slap on the wrist.

The report says that although participating in a dogfight and possessing dogs for fighting are both felonies in Hawaii, there are no laws against being a spectator at a fight.

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Sep/12/br/br8419207536.html

This is unacceptable and our lawmakers should be told so immediately!

What can you do?

Contact your local state legislators and tell them that the time has come to address the extremely weak penalties available to punish dogfighters and to address the complete lack of ability for law enforcement to punish spectators who attend the dogfights.

Make phone calls and write letters to Hawaii’s lawmakers. Ask your families, your friends, your neighbors, and your co-workers to take a few minutes out of their day to help push lawmakers to pass stronger animal cruelty laws.

Hawaii needs laws to punish the spectators!

Tell your legislators that they need to pass legislation that makes it illegal to attend a dogfight. Spectators, along with the dog fighters themselves, should be punished for their participation in this ultimate act of animal cruelty.

Hawaii needs animal cruelty laws with stiffer penalties!

Tell your legislators that the penalties for being found guilty of dog fighting should be strengthened. A mere slap on the wrist for subjecting animals to such pain and torture is completely inhumane, and it should be unacceptable in a state that claims to have a culture based on “Aloha”. There is no Aloha when it comes to animal cruelty, not for humans and, even more so, not for the animals that suffer this unspeakable abuse.

Click here if you need help in finding your local legislators.
http://www.hawaiianhumane.org/animallaws/index.html

Please, do not simply shrug off this matter. The legislators will only address Hawaii’s animal cruelty laws if their constituents TELL them to address animal cruelty and TELL them that the current laws are poor, at best. You are those constituents and the legislators need your votes and support to stay in office. Legislators are there to represent you. You have a voice and, for the sake of the animals, you have a duty to speak out for them. A simple phone call or letter to your legislator may not seem like much, but to the animal that suffers the pain and abuse at the hands of dog fighters and the grotesque spectators that actively watch such cruelty as entertainment, that phone call or letter means the possibility of being saved from pain.

Please, don’t wait to act. Call and write your legislators today!

Quotes Courtesy of The Honolulu Advertiser.

Photo Courtesy of Best Friends Network.