(The Center Square) – Despite strong laws against it, animal fighting – most commonly dogfighting and cockfighting – continues to surface in Pennsylvania and across the country.
Advocates and law enforcement argue the crimes extend beyond animal cruelty, often intersecting with illegal gambling and other organized criminal activity. It’s conduct they hope to disrupt through federal legislation such as the bipartisan Fighting Inhumane Gambling and High-Risk Trafficking, or FIGHT, Act.
Law enforcement groups, including the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police and the state Sheriffs and District Attorneys Associations, are among more than 500 organizations nationwide backing the measure. They are urging U.S. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., to include it in the Farm Bill, which Thompson has signaled he intends to bring to a committee markup by the end of February.
The legislation – H.R. 3946 in the House and S.1454 in the Senate – would amend the Animal Welfare Act to strengthen enforcement against animal fighting and related criminal conduct. Both bills have bipartisan co-sponsors, including many from Pennsylvania.
Recent cases in the commonwealth include a 2025 dogfighting investigation in West Hazleton, in which Pennsylvania State Police impounded 28 pit bulls found with scars and other signs consistent with fighting. In Bucks County, authorities also broke up a cockfighting ring in Plumstead Township; one of the defendants was also convicted on narcotics trafficking charges.
“Pennsylvania’s prosecutors deal with the real-world consequences of violent and organized crime, including animal fighting,” said Kelly Callihan, executive director of the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association, in a statement released by Animal Wellness Action.
“When law enforcement and prosecutors across the Commonwealth speak with one voice, legislators should take note. The FIGHT Act reflects the on-the-ground experience of those who investigate and prosecute these crimes, and it is the common-sense step Congress should take to strengthen enforcement and protect our communities.”
Animal Wellness Action President Wayne Pacelle told The Center Square that Pennsylvania already treats dogfighting and cockfighting as felonies, but argued additional federal tools are needed to deter and disrupt these operations. He said the FIGHT Act would strengthen enforcement by prohibiting online gambling on animal fights, banning shipment of mature roosters through the U.S. Postal Service, creating a citizen-suit provision to allow private enforcement actions, and enabling forfeiture of real property used to facilitate animal fighting crimes.
There are potentially millions of birds bred and trained for fighting in the U.S. “It’s bigger than anyone has the capacity to understand,” said Pacelle.
Additionally, a significant number of birds are shipped to other countries, such as Mexico and the Philippines, where, in Manila, a multi-day event called the World Slasher Cup was recently held.
Pacelle noted that animal fighting gained national attention in 2007, when NFL quarterback Michael Vick and three others were convicted and imprisoned for their roles in operating a dogfighting ring on Vick’s property in Virginia.
After his release, Vick offered to help educate people about humane animal treatment. Pacelle, a strong critic of Vick at the time, said he agreed to work with him, but only if it involved direct, personal engagement – not just putting his name on a press release.
Pacelle said Vick accompanied him to roughly 40 communities, and together they spoke to tens of thousands of young people to raise awareness of the issue.
Animal Wellness Action also states there are concerns about cockfighting’s potential role in spreading avian disease that could threaten U.S. egg and poultry industries. More details can be found on their Fact Sheet.
“Law enforcement leaders across Pennsylvania see firsthand how animal fighting damages neighborhoods and fuels broader criminal networks – it’s far more than an issue of animal abuse,” said Natalie Ahwesh, Pennsylvania state director of Animal Wellness Action. “We’re honored to work alongside the sheriffs, chiefs of police, and district attorneys in all 67 counties to push for strong laws that equip state and federal law enforcement with the tools needed to dismantle these organized crime rings.”
