Two major arrests put spotlight on dogfighting crimes

ProCon debate: Should Breed-Specific Legislation (“Pit Bull Bans”) Be Enacted?

ProCon issue in the news: Two major 2025 arrests have catapulted the issue of dogfighting into the spotlight. Dogfighting is a felony in all 50 U.S. states.

First, on January 30 Vincent Lemark Burrell, a 57-year-old man from Georgia, was convicted of 93 counts of dogfighting and 10 counts of cruelty to animals. Burrell received the maximum sentence on all 103 counts, resulting in a 475-year prison sentence.

The charges stemmed from a November 2022 raid during which more than 100 dogs were found on Burrell’s property. Jessica Rock, Georgia’s animal crimes resource prosecutor, said she believed that Burrell’s prison sentence was the longest ever given for a dogfighting offense.

The second case involved the March 20 federal arrest of former NFL running back Leshon Johnson in Oklahoma. Johnson, age 54, was “charged with possessing 190 pit bull-type dogs for use in an animal fighting venture and for selling, transporting, and delivering a dog for use in an animal fighting venture,” according to the U.S. Justice Department. For each count, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Johnson had pleaded guilty to state animal fighting charges in Oklahoma in 2004.

According to Paulding county (Georgia) Chief Marshal Trevor Hess,

The average person doesn’t realize how prevalent dogfighting still is. But the more we talk about this issue and educate the public, the more people will understand that dogs aren’t “just” property, and you cannot treat them in this way.

As NPR journalist Rachel Treisman notes, dogfighting arrests are common:

Last February, the U.S. Justice Department charged 14 men from Georgia, Florida, and Alabama for participating in a 2022 dogfight. In 2024, men in Maryland and Massachusetts were among those who pleaded guilty to federal dogfighting charges, and a former top Department of Defense official was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for his involvement in a “multi-state dogfighting conspiracy.”

Discussion questions

1. Does breed-specific legislation (pit bull bans) help stop dogfighting? Why or why not?
2. Should breed-specific legislation be enacted? If not, why not? If yes, why and regarding which dog breeds?
3. What other policies or laws could help stop dogfighting and other dog-related violence, such as bites? Explain your answer.

Sources

• Paulding District Attorney’s Office (January 30, 2025), facebook.com
• Rachel Treisman, “A Man Was Sentenced to 475 Years for Dogfighting. The Sport Is Surprisingly Prevalent” (February 4, 2025), npr.org
• U.S. Department of Justice, “Oklahoma Man Charged with Operating Large-Scale Dog Fighting and Trafficking Venture” (March 25, 2025), justice.gov
• Neil Vigdor, “LeShon Johnson, Ex-N.F.L. Running Back, Ran Major Dogfighting Kennel, U.S. Says” (March 26, 2025), nytimes.com