"Dog fighting is a cruel and brutal practice. The abuses are so gruesome that even experienced investigators are shocked by what they discover at dog fighting raids.

For the sake of human profit, the dogs are trained to kill. To ensure their aggression dogs are beaten, chained and fed gunpowder, illegal drugs and even live animals -- and sometimes they are not fed at all for long periods of time. In the end, dogs that do not win are either killed or left to die horrific and painful deaths.

The Federal Dog Protection Act addresses these issues of cruelty, providing much needed protection to the animals that are pulled into this barbaric blood sport. This bill is necessary to adequately punish anyone who not only operates and engages in, but also attends and otherwise supports, dog-fighting events. In addition, the bill bans the use of the U.S. Postal Service to mail dog fighting paraphernalia and has a civil suit provision. "