Fighting for dogs.

• Position: TRENDS AND TRANSITIONS - Brief article

Americans became privy to the horrors of animal fighting last April. Michael Vick, star quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons, was discovered harboring a dog-fighting ring with three colleagues and charged by federal authorities with operating an unlawful interstate dog fighting enterprise. Vick pled guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to operate an interstate dog fighting ring and admitted financing the operation. In late August, a U.S. district judge sentenced him to 23 months in prison.

Dog fighting is a contest between game dogs specifically bred, conditioned and trained to fight in a plywood pit. It's for entertainment and gambling, and often illicit drugs are involved. The bouts can last up to two hours, with the unsuccessful canine losing the fight and often his life. Pitbulls and Rottweilers are commonly used because of their aggressiveness.

In May 2007, President Bush signed the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act, which provides felony penalties for animal fighting. Each violation of the federal law may bring up to three years in jail and up to a $250,000 fine.

Dog fighting is illegal in all 50 states and the District of Columbia...