ATLANTA (AP) - The Georgia House voted overwhelmingly today to
approve a proposal that would for the first time make it a crime to
attend a dog fight.

The House voted 165-6 to allow prosecutors to charge spectators
of dog fights with a misdemeanor penalty which carries up to a year
in jail and a maximum $5,000 fine.

The bill also allows prosecutors to charge people who host dog
fights or train their canines for dogfighting with a felony.

The Senate passed a similar bill last year, but it failed to
reach a vote.

Animal rights activists say the case of Michael Vick, the
Atlanta Falcons quarterback who was sentenced to 23 months in
prison on federal dogfighting charges, has given impetus to the
proposal.

Dogfighting is already illegal in Georgia, but current law
allows only people caught in the act to be charged with a
misdemeanor. Critics say the lax laws make it difficult for
prosecutors to pursue charges against people who breed fighting
dogs and set up matches.
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    On the Net:
    House Bill 301: http://www.legis.state.ga.us
   
    (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)