Strengthen Laws
Against Blood Sports
Organized blood sports are not merely isolated acts of animal cruelty, they are hubs for sophisticated, organized criminal enterprises.
In 2025 the Texas Legislature failed to passed a bill to enforce stricter penalties and strengthen protections. That's why in 2027, WE NEED YOU.
DOG & COCKFIGHTING IN TX
IS A THRIVING "OPEN SECRET"
SINCE 2021, OVER 20 "KNOWN"
HIGH PROFILE ORGANIZED BLOOD SPORT RINGS HAVE
BEEN SHUT DOWN BY INVESTIGATORS.
IN SPITE OF HUNDREDS ENGAGING IN THIS ACTIVITY
ONLY A HANDFUL EVER GET CHARGED WITH CRIMES.
RECENT NEWS STORIES
WAYS YOU CAN HELP RIGHT NOW
ACTION ITEM #01
EMAIL YOUR LEGISLATOR
"BE TEXAS-TOUGH"
ON ANIMAL CRUELTY
Email the Legislators below to send them a polite message asking them to support future bills that put an end to blood sports in Texas.
Need a cheat sheet? Just copy and paste the email below:
Dear Senator [Senator's Last Name],
I urge you to prioritize and actively support legislation in the upcoming session—similar to the previously filed SB 2426—to establish mandatory felony penalties for all organized animal fighting, including cockfighting.
Current penalties are failing to deter the highly organized criminal networks operating across our state. Evidence from recent raids proves this:
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In Newton County (Nov 2025), a dogfighting operation led to 45 arrests, the seizure of $73,858 in cash, narcotics, and firearms, demonstrating the direct link between animal fighting and serious organized crime.
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Similarly, the Kaufman County (Dec 2024) bust dismantled a combined ring involving 44 fighting dogs and nearly 100 roosters, showing that these enterprises are multi-faceted and widespread.
These rings are not merely instances of animal cruelty; they are hubs for illegal gambling, drug trafficking, and weapons offenses. Allowing low penalties to stand serves only to subsidize these dangerous criminal enterprises.
Strengthening these laws to mandate a high-level felony for all participants, organizers, and spectators is a critical public safety measure that dismantles entire criminal networks and upholds the moral character of Texas.
I ask for your commitment to ensuring a bill modeled on SB 2426 is not just filed, but receives an immediate hearing, is voted out of committee, and advances to the floor for passage early next session.
Thank you for your service and consideration of this vital issue.
Sincerely,
[Your Full Name] [Your Street Address or Zip Code] [Your City, Texas]
Senator Jose Menendez
Senator Pete Flores
Senator Tan Parker
Senator Brent Hagenbuch
Senator Juan Hinojosa
Senator Joan Huffman
Senator Phil King
Senator Borris Miles
ACTION ITEM #02
SUBSCRIBE TO JOIN
OUR ACTION TEAM
GET INVOLVED! YOU MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE
WHY STRENGTHEN LAWS AGAINST
ANIMAL BLOOD SPORT?
Texas is home to an undercurrent of organized animal blood sport.
In 2027 it's time our legislators did more to protect animals and our communities.
A LIFE OF MISERY
& ABUSE
TIED TO OTHER
ILLEGAL CRIMES
SPECTATORS ARE AS GUILTY AS ORGANIZERS
The torture animals endure in organized blood sports is a calculated, sadistic process designed to maximize profit and spectacle.
For dogs, the abuse begins long before the match: they are subjected to brutal training regimes like being run on treadmills while starved, or forced to fight "bait animals".
In the pit, these dogs tear into each other for hours, suffering shattered bones, punctured lungs, and blinding eye injuries.
Blood sports, such as dog and cock fighting, serve as a major nexus for other serious organized crimes. Operations are rarely isolated acts of animal abuse; they are large-scale, clandestine events built around massive illegal gambling.
This illicit environment are always linked to other criminal activity like illegal drug trafficking, firearms and cartel activity.
These brutal operations, are fueled by the revenue and excitement provided by a paying, cheering crowd.
Without spectators, the massive gambling component that makes these crimes financially lucrative collapses.
Spectators willingly participate in the entire cruelty cycle, validating the torture and death of animals for entertainment and profit.
WEAK LAWS DO NOT DETER
DOGFIGHTING ORGANIZERS
Texas Law treats Dogfighting as a low-penalty crime. Punishment can carry sentences of 180 days to a maximum of two years. Given the brutal nature of dogfighting, this is an inadequate penalty for the career criminal who view it as "the cost of doing business".
Current laws limit the legal tools of prosecutors to adequately charge blood sport ringleaders for the severity of their crimes. Prosecutors must rely on complex conspiracy charges, testimony of accomplices and stacking multiple lesser charges.
LOOPHOLES PROTECTING
COCKFIGHTING SPECTATORS
Spectators of cockfighting seldom see charges. Enforcement spend time and resources pursuing felony charges against organizers. As a consequence, the spectators, who's demand is central to the organization of blood sports, successfully evade lawful punishment.
When police raid a cockfight, the hundreds of attendees often scatter, mixing into crowds or fleeing into nearby woods to avoid detention. The spectators are free to bring their demand for this brutal entertainment
to another organizer.