Montana Legislature Considers Criminal Charges for Spectators at Dog Fights

Today, February 10, the Montana House Agriculture committee met to discuss a bill that would make it illegal for adults to be spectators at dog-fights, cock-fights, and other animal fighting events. Humane Society Spokeswoman Lora O’Connor was in Helena to explain why she believes the bill should be passed.

"Right now, Montana is the only state in the entire country where being a spectator at a dog fight is legal. This bill would basically close the loophole and fix the omission. The omission, basically, is that the Montana legislature passed a law years ago, but neglected to put "spectators" in the body of the bill, it was in the title, but not the body."

O’Connor says that the fact that spectators aren’t prohibited gives dog-fight organizers an easy out.

"To organize it, that is against the law, but to be a spectator is still legal. Fights would not occur without spectators. Basically what happens is when law enforcement learns about [an animal fight] they will go, but then nobody will stand up and say they are the organizer, so basically they are all just participants."

So far, the legislature has decided against similar bills multiple times. According to O’Connor, the reason the bill has failed was because of fears that it could affect rodeos, she says this bill has a rodeo exemption.