Perdue's Signature Puts New Bite In
Anti-Dogfighting Law
See Photo Below
By Dick Pettys
InsiderAdvantage Georgia
(5/6/08) A four-year effort to ban dogfighting in Georgia paid
off Tuesday as Gov. Sonny Perdue signed legislation substantially
toughening the criminal penalties for engaging in what he decried
as a barbaric and unconscionable practice.
“I refuse to call it a ‘sport’ of dogfighting.
It’s not a sport. It’s really barbarism and it’s
dangerous, cruel and - for those of us who love animals and love
dogs particularly - it’s unconscionable,” he declared.
With his signature on HB
301, the measure takes effect immediately.
Perdue signed the bill with the customary number of sponsors and
advocates looking on. But also present were two Belgian Malinois
police dogs.
As the lawmakers gathered around him for the ceremony, the larger
of the two dogs - 92-pound “Bubba” - put his front paws
on the governor’s desk. The somewhat smaller dog - “Chip”
- did, too, but he wasn’t content with that. After a second
or two, he leaped up on the governor’s desk and sat there
for the signing.
Perdue, a former veterinarian who has two pet dogs of his own,
took it all in stride while the cameras had a field day.
The measure’s passage clearly was helped by Michael Vick’s
nationally publicized conviction last year for dogfighting, but
the sponsors said it would have passed even without that.
Sen. Chip Rogers, R-Woodstock, who carried the bill in the Senate,
said: “It’s rare that you come across that issue - any
political issue - where everybody you talk to seems to agree. And
everybody you talked to on this issue agreed that dogfighting has
no place in civilized society.”
Rep. Bobby Reese, R-Sugar Hill, House author of the bill Perdue
signed, said Vick’s case helped educate the public.
Dogfighting already was a felony in Georgia but it was difficult
to prosecute people because law enforcement officials had to catch
people in the act.
The new law makes it illegal to train, transport, sell or own a
fighting dog, as well as to promote or advertise a fight or to place
a bet on the outcome of a dogfight. All of those offenses are felonies,
with a first conviction fetching prison terms of from one to five
years and fines of at least $5,000. Second convictions bring prison
terms of up to 10 years and fines of no less than $15,000.
Spectators are treated a little differently, with the first conviction
constituting a “high and aggravated” misdemeanor. Perdue
said he favored a lesser penalty for spectators in order to protect
innocent children who were brought along to dogfights by their fathers.
In photo above: (L-R) "Chip" and "Bubba"
with their handlers; Sen. Chip Rogers; Gov. Perdue; Rep. Bobby Reese;
Rep. David Knight; Rep. Rich Golick. (Governor's Office photo.)
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