Dear President Obama,

As a concerned animal advocate, I would like to bring to your attention the heinous crime of dog fighting. While this blood sport is illegal in all 50 states, I worry that it is not being taken seriously enough.

As with any other illegal underground activity, it is impossible to determine how many people may be involved in dog fighting. Estimates based on fight reports in underground dog fighting publications, and on animals entering shelters bearing evidence of fighting, suggest that the number of people involved in dog fighting in the U.S. is in the tens of thousands. And dog fighting has been reported in urban, suburban and rural settings in all regions of the country.

While organized dog fighting activity seemed to decline in the 1990s, many law enforcement and animal control officials feel that it has rebounded in recent years. And it is not just the welfare of the animals that is in question. Dog fighting, by its very nature, involves illegal gambling. Dog fighters often face additional charges related to drug, alcohol and weapons violations as well as probation violations. Arguments over dog fights have also resulted in incidents that have led to charges of assault and even homicide. Other charges might include conspiracy, corruption of minors, money laundering, etc.

Dog fighting is a violent and highly secretive enterprise that is extremely difficult for law enforcement and investigative professionals to infiltrate. A dog fight investigation requires many of the same skills and resources as a major undercover narcotics investigation, and challenges the resources of any agency that seeks to respond to it.

That's why I want to make sure our state's law enforcement has the resources and motivation needed to take this crime seriously. In addition, I ask you to urge State Governors to support the formation of a state task force to address dog fighting. This task force would be comprised of all the major stakeholders: law enforcement, prosecutors, animal control, animal welfare groups, veterinarians, public health officials, housing authorities, the neighborhood watch and others. The group should identify the nature of the problems in our state, the laws that could be applied to these problems, and the resources that are available. Dog fighting is most effectively addressed by a collaborative approach to this heinous crime.

Dog fighting is brutal, and we need to be doing all we can to make sure that we end this practice forever.