Animal Fighting Paraphernalia
We can all agree that animal fighting is a horribly inhumane act. In the wake of the Michael Vick conviction of dog fighting we were all shocked by the underground nature of this criminal activity. Most of us at the Mazza Law Group, P.C. are dog owners. We all agree that dog fighting is bad. In Pennsylvania dog fighting is a felony. On July 10, 2015, Governor Tom Wolf signed a new law that makes possession of animal fighting paraphernalia a misdemeanor of the third degree.
But you might ask what is animal fighting paraphernalia? The legal definition is very broad by stating “any device, implement, object, or drug used, or intended to be used for animal fighting”. The definition does go on to state that a Court or other authority should consider statements by anyone in control of the object to determine the intent and use of the object.
Some examples of paraphernalia that could be used in dog fighting or indicators of dog fighting are:
- Spring pole/flirt pole
- Slat mill/carpet mill/treadmill
- Turntable
- Cat mill (jenny)
- Antibiotics/drugs/supplements
- Medical supplies
- Drag sleds
- Weight pulling harnesses
- Chains
- Break stick
- PedigreesBarrel dog housing
- Scars/wounds
- Conditioned dog
- Books/magazines/journals/DVDs on the breed
- Weighted collars
- Prong collars
- Heavy duty dog collars
- Above the ground kennels
This new law makes distinguishing legitimate animal trainers from animal fighters difficult since legitimate trainers use many of the same implements. If you are an animal trainer and would like advice on how to prevent any misunderstandings on the use of your training tools we suggest you contact one of the experienced lawyers at the Mazza Law Group, P.C. to set up a plan of action to deal with potential contacts from law enforcement.
By: William “Skip” Arbuckle (July 31, 2015)
Animal Fighting Paraphernalia was last modified: September 17th, 2015 by William Arbuckle