Thanks to a tip from the public, Anderson, Indiana, dogfighter James Lee Peterson was arrested in September 2021. Police seized eight injured pitbulls and six caged chickens that "also had injuries on their beaks and bodies that a board of health doctor said were indicative or being scared or startled in their enclosure,” Fox 59 reported. In September 2022, Peterson "was sentenced to two years in prison and one year in the county jail" in a plea agreement.

Although Peterson got more than a slap on the wrist, his sentence confirms the need for this petition, because Washington, D.C., dogfighter Jaquan Jackson received a mere 90 days in jail in July despite the fact police found, among other evidence, a dead dog hanging from a fence in June 2018.

Furthermore, St. Louis, MIssouri, dogfighter Brian Maclin admitted to police in August 2022 that he's been fighting dogs for 30 years. A rescuer told reporters he'd suspected dogfighting was happening in St. Louis because he'd seen torn-up dogs and cats around town, but no one took it seriously.

Dogfighting has increased across the country for this very reason. Please continue to share this petition with others to not only ensure dogfighters get a lengthy mandatory minimum prison sentence when they're caught but to warn people who ignore Craigslist's warning about posting free animals or think the price of a pizza and pop will save their cat's life.