Florida’s Animal Cruelty Laws

Each of the 32 states that allow this practice laws differ, but Florida animal cruelty statutes states:

FLORIDA ANIMALS: CRUELTY; SALES; ANIMAL ENTERPRISE PROTECTION

828.122 Fighting or baiting animals; offenses; penalties.—
(1) This act may be cited as “The Animal Fighting Act.”
(2) As used in this section, the term:
(a) “Animal fighting” means fighting between roosters or other birds or between dogs, bears, or other animals.
(b) “Baiting” means to attack with violence, to provoke, or to harass an animal with one or more animals for the purpose of training an animal for, or to cause an animal to engage in, fights with or among other animals. In addition, “baiting” means the use of live animals in the training of racing greyhounds.
(c) “Person” means every natural person, firm, copartnership, association, or corporation.
(3) Any person who knowingly commits any of the following acts commits a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084:
Baiting, breeding, training, transporting, selling, owning, possessing, or using any wild or domestic animal for the purpose of animal fighting or baiting;

(9) This section shall not apply to:
…..
(e) Any person using dogs to hunt wild hogs or to retrieve domestic hogs pursuant to customary hunting or agricultural practices.”

Animals Are Being Abused Because of a Legal Exception

The exception (e) makes NO logical sense, because dogs are trained to “hunt” by chasing, cornering, attacking and fighting. So, why is it illegal to cause a dog to fight another dog, or a pig in an enclosure, but it is legal to use dogs to chase and viciously attack pigs while being trained and in the wild?

Boar hunting with dogs is exactly what it sounds like: dogs trained to track and attack. They are taken out into the country, or wherever wild hogs are plentiful, and set loose to sniff out hogs. Once a hog is found the dogs will chase it down, corner, bay and attack it, usually leaving it badly injured, but normally still alive. Hunters (when they catch up) will kill the pig, usually by “sticking,” which is a prolonged death vs. the use of a proper gun. Wild hogs are incredibly difficult to kill and will put up a fight until the end. Many dogs involved are wounded by tusks, bitten, trampled and sometimes killed. This is basically animal fighting, in the wild. Putting dogs in such a dangerous situation is inhumane and should not be legal.