Dear Attorney General Ken Paxton, Mayor Eric Johnson, Dallas Police Department, and Dallas City Council Members:

Dogfighting is rampant in Texas, and now, more than ever, we ask you to please crack down on this egregious form of animal cruelty. In Dallas specifically, advocates have identified what is believed to be an active, widespread dogfighting ring. Numerous dead dogs have been found with gunshot wounds to the head and bloody wounds consistent with dogfighting, indicating these dogs were killed and dumped after losing a match. Several dogs have been identified on properties of known dogfighters with weighted collars and heavy chains, as well as paraphernalia associated with dogfighting.

All 50 states have made dogfighting a felony crime, and animal fighting is also a federal crime that has been outlawed throughout the entire U.S. and the U.S. Territories. Yet driven by greed, criminals generate millions of dollars in unreported, illegal income; organized dogfighting matches can result in tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars being exchanged.

It's critical for law enforcement to actively enforce the law to protect both dogs and our communities. Dogs used for fighting are kept in inhumane conditions, typically chained up outside, exposed to the conditions, with heavy weighted collars around their neck. Dogs are often injected with stimulants and cocaine, and a fight typically lasts for 1- 3 hours, until one dog is dead or too severely injured to continue. The dogs most often die after the fight is over, either from the severity of their injuries or by execution.

Drug trafficking, organized crime, gang violence, and illegal gambling go hand-in-hand with dogfighting. The presence of illicit drugs and weapons at animal fighting contests is common. Major drug networks involving methamphetamine trafficking and clandestine labs have been directly tied to animal fighting in many states. A raid in South Carolina even uncovered pipe bombs and other bomb-making materials. Violence to humans is also directly connected to dogfighting - A 2004 study by the Chicago Police Department found that 65% of those arrested for animal crimes, including animal fighting, had been arrested for violence to humans.

Dogfighting, however, is not only a problem in Dallas. It's occurring all over Texas and these criminals must be stopped. We urge you to take swift action to thoroughly investigate and crack down on dogfighting in Dallas – and throughout the state of Texas.

Thank you for your attention to this important issue.