State lawmakers are hoping to illuminate the underground world of dogfighting operations in Hawai'i by broadening the law to target those who organize, facilitate and attend the fights.

The House will vote today on a measure that would allow police and prosecutors to go after anyone who organizes, wagers on or provides material assistance to dog fighters.

Dogfighting, brought to prominence by the operation run by former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, is a Class "C" felony in Hawai'i, punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Under the proposal, written by state Rep. John Mizuno, D-30th (Kamehameha Heights, Kalihi Valley, Fort Shafter), paying to attend a dogfight and betting on the outcome would both be misdemeanor offenses.

Mizuno's bill and its companion proposal in the Senate, introduced by Sen. Suzanne Chun Oakland, D-13th (Kalihi, Nu'uanu), would expand the current state statute to make it a Class "C" felony for anyone coordinating a dogfight, including those who breed, sell and transport fighting animals.

STATE RANKS POORLY

Anyone who allows a dogfight on their property or keeps and trains dogs for fighting for "entertainment or financial gain" would also face felony charges.

"I know it's happening out there," said Mizuno. "Unless we have the proper tools for law enforcement it will continue under the radar."

Hawai'i and Montana are the only two states that do not have criminal penalties for people paying admission to attend dogfights and others who bet on the outcome of the fights.

In September 2007, the Humane Society of the United States ranked Hawai'i in the bottom five for dogfighting laws and last year ranked the state 50th.

The Western Region of the Humane Society said it received 12 complaints of organized dogfighting in Hawai'i last year and has forwarded allegations to law enforcement that an underground ring of breeders and fighters is operating in rural areas.

Last fall, the U.S. attorney's office offered a $5,000 reward to anyone who has knowledge of dogfighting activities and other acts of animal cruelty.

INVESTIGATION NEEDED

With no arrests or major cases made, some question whether dogfighting is occurring in Hawai'i, but the Humane Society maintains that it is a real threat.

Inga Gibson, state director of the Humane Society of the United States, said dogs used for fighting have been bred to be aggressive toward other animals and the dogs' presence in a community raises the risk of attacks on other animals and people.

Dogfighting is also associated with other crimes, such as illegal gambling, drug distribution and human violence, she said.

"Unfortunately, there is information that suggests dogfighting activity is happening in Hawai'i and has been occurring for some time," Gibson said. "Dogfighting activity is extremely clandestine and underground (and) requires vigorous investigation, which is why it is so important to give law enforcement the tools they need to vigorously investigate."

The injuries inflicted and suffered by dogs participating in dogfights are often severe, sometimes fatal.

Many dogs that fight in the ring die of blood loss, shock, dehydration, exhaustion or infection hours or even days after the fight, according to the Humane Society. Some owners train their dogs for fights using smaller animals such as cats, rabbits or small dogs.

These "bait" animals are often stolen, Gibson said.

OPPOSITION TO MEASURE

"As we learned in the Michael Vick case, no community is immune from this cruelty," said Rosemary Karlsson, a Kea'au resident, in testimony submitted to the House Judiciary Committee. "I have been doing dog rescue for 10 years, and I am very saddened by the fact that many stray dogs and 'free dogs' end up as bait, to be torn to shreds by another dog, and bleed to death. This is disgusting. Anyone involved in this is not a human, and should be locked up."

Dogfighting to the death rarely occurs in nature and the animals have to be trained to tear into each other.

"By nature dogs are social animals," said Madelyn R. Barrea, executive director of the West Hawaii Humane Society. "In the wild, they live together, hunt together, sleep together and play together. They might fight over territory or to protect their young, but they do not fight for the 'fun of it.' "

There was some opposition to the bill by the Office of the Public Defender, which claimed that dogfighting does not occur in Hawai'i and that the bill is too broad and unnecessary.

"Dogfighting is not a problem in the state of Hawai'i," said Timothy Ho, chief deputy public defender, in testimony submitted to the House Judiciary Committee. "No one has been prosecuted under our current dofighting law. There is no demonstrated need to rewrite our current dogfighting statute."

Hawai'i County police said they have never heard of dogfighting on the Big Island but would vigorously investigate if they gained operable intelligence.

"In our culture, dogs are revered, we love them as pets," said Capt. Randall Medeiros, head of the Hawai'i County police department's criminal investigation division. "In our community, people would not stand by while dogs fought. It's the responsible thing to do to have something like this on the books."