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Sunday April 8 is National Dogfighting Awareness Day. To help law enforcement tasked with investigating dogfighting crimes, the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) has partnered with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).

National Dogfighting Awareness Day, which takes place annually on April 8, was established by the ASPCA to raise awareness about the prevalence of dogfighting in the U.S., reveal little-known truths about the blood sport, and encourage animal lovers nationwide to take action against this brutal form of animal cruelty.

The COPS Office and the ASPCA have partnered to develop The Dogfighting Toolkit for Law Enforcement, an invaluable resource aimed at assisting law enforcement agencies in addressing dogfighting.

Despite being a felony in all 50 states, the ASPCA estimates that there are tens of thousands of dogfighters in the United States forcing hundreds of thousands of dogs to brutally train, fight, and suffer as part of a so-called “blood sport.” 

Dogfighting is often associated with other forms of criminal activity including illegal gambling and possession of drugs and firearms.

Last year alone, the ASPCA rescued more than 300 dogs from 13 dogfighting operations across 11 states.