"It is my honor to sign this bill today," said Freudenthal at the ceremony. "I would note for the historic record that the paw print will be on a copy of the bill." It was Mystic, Department of Family Services employee Pat McCabe's dog that added her paw print in ink to a copy of the bill.



Wyoming's actions came at the heels of Idaho enacting a similar bill on Feb. 25. The onslaught of legislative action came after the 2007 dogfighting case against NFL superstar Michael Vick who pleaded guilty to federal dogfighting charges last December and is now serving time in federal prison.

"This is a real reason to celebrate, a landmark moment in the struggle to rid our nation of this hideously cruel activity that destroys so many innocent animals and is so corrosive to the ideals of a decent and civil society," said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States.

The Wyoming bill, sponsored by Rep. Rosie Berger, R-Sheridan, and 34 other legislators, has been in the making for several years. "We started back in 2006 to make dogfighting and fowlfighting a felony on first offense in Wyoming," said Berger at the ceremony. She continued by calling Monday "the best day of my legislative career."

According to the HSUS, dogfighting was a misdemeanor crime in all states as recently as 1975. But by 1995, the number of states with misdemeanor penalties for the crime was down to a mere 16. Today though, according to the HSUS, that number is zero.

It was Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts that called for legislative action last July. Kerry aimed to go after the vicious sport by making it illegal to transmit images of dogfighting, to run Web sites that cater to the sport or to own or train dogs for the purpose of dogfighting.

It was also Kerry that sent a strongly worded letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell requesting that he immediately suspend Vick. "These dogs are mistreated, starved and conditioned for aggression, and then allowed to literally destroy one another in the ring," said Kerry in his letter to Goodell. "This illegal and despicable activity has no place in a civilized society."

These bills have also drawn support from those that claim there is a direct connection between animal cruelty and domestic violence. A Chicago Police Department study once showed that 65 percent of people charged with animal abuse crimes, including dogfighting, were also charged with violent crimes against people. The HSUS estimates that 40,000 people and 250,000 dogs are involved in organized dogfighting each year.

"You can have all the money in the world but if you don't have a safe family life, a safe place to live and a quality of life, money doesn't really matter much," said Berger on Monday. "So, it's about these animals that do not have a voice that we're protecting today."

The American Staffordshire Terrier or "pit bull" has been the target of breed-specific legislation.