720 ILCS 5/48-1 – Dog Fighting
This law makes it illegal to use dogs for fighting, to help with dog fights, or to be involved with dog fighting in any way.
This statute says people cannot make dogs fight, help dog fights happen, or use places, tools, or equipment for dog fighting. It also sets criminal penalties, allows taking dogs and property, and limits future pet ownership for people who break this law. It also says you can look up the Humane Care for Animals Act to learn more.
(a) A person may not own, catch, breed, train, or rent out any dog if they know it is meant to be used in any show, event, or activity where the dog will fight another animal or person, or be purposely killed, for fun, betting, or entertainment.
(b) A person may not plan, run, advertise, collect money for, or in any way help with any show, event, or activity where 2 or more dogs or a dog and a person fight, or where a dog is purposely killed, for fun, betting, or entertainment.
(c) A person may not sell, offer to sell, ship, move, deliver, or receive any dog if they know the dog was or will be caught, bred, or trained to fight another dog or person, or to be purposely killed, for fun, betting, or entertainment.
(c-5) A person may not ask or try to get anyone under 18 years old to break any part of this dog fighting law.
(d) A person may not make, for sale or delivery, any device or equipment if they know or should know it is meant to be used in any show, event, or activity where 2 or more dogs or a dog and a person fight, or where a dog is purposely killed, for fun, betting, or entertainment.
(e) A person may not own, have, sell or offer to sell, ship, move, or deliver any equipment or device if they know or should know it is meant to be used in any show, event, or activity where 2 or more dogs or a dog and a person fight, or where a dog is purposely killed, for fun, betting, or entertainment.
(f) A person may not knowingly let any place, building, or other area they control be used for any show, event, or activity where 2 or more dogs or a dog and a person fight, or where a dog is purposely killed, and may not knowingly make, give out, or deliver special fittings to be used in such fights.
(g) A person may not knowingly go to or support any show, event, or activity where 2 or more dogs or a dog and a person fight, or where a dog is purposely killed, for fun, betting, or entertainment.
(h) A person may not tie or fasten any live animal to any powered machine or device so that the animal is chased by one or more dogs, when the dog is meant to be used in a dog fight.
(i) Sentence:
- (1) Anyone who breaks subsection (a), (b), (c), or (h) is guilty of a Class 4 felony the first time and a Class 3 felony for later times, and can be fined up to $50,000.
- (1.5) Anyone who knowingly owns a dog for fighting or to make dogs fight, or who knowingly sells or offers for sale a dog bred for fighting, is guilty of a Class 3 felony and can be fined up to $50,000 if the dog takes part in a dog fight and any of these things are true:
- The dog fight happens in front of someone under 18 years old.
- The dog fight happens for or in front of illegal betting.
- The dog fight happens to help or support street gang activity as defined by law.
- (1.7) Anyone who breaks subsection (c-5) is guilty of a Class 4 felony.
- (2) Anyone who breaks subsection (d) or (e) is guilty of a Class 4 felony the first time. A second or later violation of (d) or (e) is a Class 3 felony.
- (2.5) Anyone who breaks subsection (f) is guilty of a Class 4 felony. If the place used for dog fighting under subsection (f) is within 1,000 feet of a school, public park, playground, child care or day care location, or a place that serves only people under 18, the person is guilty of a Class 3 felony the first time and a Class 2 felony for later times.
- (3) Anyone who breaks subsection (g) is guilty of a Class 4 felony the first time. A second or later violation of (g) is a Class 3 felony. If a child under 13 is present at any event banned by (g), the adult 18 or older who brings that child is guilty of a Class 3 felony the first time and a Class 2 felony for later times.
(i-5) If a person commits a felony under this law, their property can be taken away under the property forfeiture rules in state criminal procedure law.
(j) Any dog or equipment used in breaking this law must be taken right away and held by authorities when found at any event where dog fighting happens for fun, betting, or entertainment.
(k) Any vehicle (other than a common carrier like a regular bus or train) used to break this law must be taken, kept, and sold at public auction by the county sheriff, and the money from the sale goes to the county’s general fund where the violation happened.
(l) Any veterinarian in the state who is asked to treat a dog with injuries from fighting and has a reasonable chance to believe the dog was used in a fighting event for fun, betting, or entertainment must file a report with the Department of Agriculture and give the owners’ names, dates, and descriptions of the dog or dogs. A veterinarian who obeys this rule in good faith cannot be sued or charged for doing so, and the law presumes the veterinarian acted in good faith unless shown otherwise.
(m) In addition to any other punishment, when a person is convicted under this law, the court may order that the convicted person and people living in the same home who helped with the illegal act, or knew or should have known about it, may not own or care for any dog or other animal for as long as the court thinks is reasonable.
(n) A violation of subsection (a) can be assumed if there is proof that the accused had any device or equipment described in subsections (d), (e), or (h), and also had any dog.
(o) When no longer needed for an investigation or court case, evidence from convictions under this law must be kept and made available to train police officers to spot and understand dog fighting crimes, and this evidence must be shared on request with other law enforcement agencies and with approved police training schools.
(p) For this law, the word “school” and the terms “public park”, “playground”, “child care institution”, “day care center”, “part day child care facility”, “day care home”, “group day care home”, and “facility providing programs or services only for people under 18 years of age” have the meanings given to them in Section 11-9.4 of the criminal code.
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