New York to Crack Down on Dog Fighting Rings

On Wednesday, New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced an animal protection initiative that aims to crack down hard on the so-called puppy mills and dogfighting rings in the state—a law enforcement area, he says, is lacking, the New York Times reports.

Although dogfighting already is illegal in all 50 states, and in New York, animal fighting convictions can result in up to four years in prison and a $25,000 fine, Schneiderman says tougher investigative and punitive measures are still needed.  

“We’re talking about a multibillion-dollar industry,” said Schneiderman. “It was getting attention in sort of a scattershot way, and now we’re going to pull it together and really focus our resources.”  

The new effort will include investigators and assistant attorneys general from across the state, including members of the office’s consumer fraud bureau and its Organized Crime Task Force. Schneiderman added that his office would more closely monitor whether pet stores and where their animals come from, particularly puppies.  

The office also will begin to solicit public cooperation in reporting any suspected illegal activity, reported the paper.   “Some of the conduct that’s been reported and that we’ve observed really can be categorized as despicable,” said Schneiderman.

“Dogs not getting any medical care, in some cases having numbers tattooed on them — this is conduct that really would turn a lot of people’s stomachs.”