COLUMBUS, Ohio — Law enforcement and humane-society officials say illegal dogfighting has been on the rise in Ohio for several years, but the clandestine nature of the sport makes it hard to determine how widespread the practice has become.

        “The problem is getting worse and more ubiquitous,” said Tom Skeldon, the dog warden for Lucas County.

        Skeldon, who has a reputation as perhaps the most zealous dog warden in the state concerning dogfighting, said the practice traditionally has been underreported and underprosecuted.

        For example, no one in Franklin County has been found guilty of dogfighting in recent memory, officials of the county prosecutor's office told The Columbus Dispatch for a story published Sunday.

        The activity stays largely underground, with word of coming fights passed slowly among dog owners and gamblers. The sight of an unfamiliar face near a fight is enough to shut it down, with participants disappearing in a hurry.

        But anti-dogfighting activity has been increasing in recent weeks.

        A Columbus man found guilty in February of dogfighting in Licking County has been sentenced to probation and banned from owning dogs for three years. A Fairfield County couple were found guilty last month of failure to confine two pit bulls, and a Columbus man is to be arraigned May 20 in Franklin County on 21 dogfighting counts.

        An Ohio task force examined the issue of dogfighting for nine months and last month proposed changes to strengthen state law and make the public more aware of the practice.

        A judge now can sentence people who fight dogs up to 18 months in prison for the fourth-degree felony, but first-time offenders typically receive probation. The task force recommended changing the offense to a third-degree felony, which would mean a prison sentence of one to five years.

        Changing the law would require approval by the General Assembly.

        The Humane Society of the United States estimates that organized dogfighting, though banned in all 50 states, has increased 300 percent in the past 10 years.

        The figure is based on a review of arrest records, media reports and reports in underground dogfighting publications.

        “Ohio has a serious problem,” said Sandy Rowland, director of the society's Great Lakes region.

        She said 583 of the approximately 20,000 dogfighters the society has identified across the nation live in Ohio.

        Don Knapp, director of the Capital Area Humane Society in Franklin County, became familiar with professional dogfighting during his 15 years as director of a dog shelter and a humane society in California.

        “Dogfighting is a family event, often held in a large warehouse,” he said. “Children watch and there can be concession stands at one end, gambling somewhere else, and over in this corner they'll be selling cocaine and crack.”

        Amy Jennings said she and other Franklin County deputy dog wardens come across dogs used for fighting about once a week.

        They pick up about 150 pit bulls a month.

        She said the dogs are tossed away when they're too injured or otherwise no longer good for fighting.

        Along with the dogs, Jennings often finds trash cans full of vitamins, drugs and fighting equipment such as treadmills, cat mills and fighting pits.

        Treadmills, either homemade or purchased, are used to strengthen dogs for battle. A dog is hooked into the treadmill with a harness and forced to run on its revolving belt.

        A cat mill resembles a maypole. Two stiff wires run off either side of the pole. The dog is attached to the end of one wire. A cat or other small animal is strapped to the end of the other and the dog chases it around the pole.

        A fighting pit is generally 14 to 24 feet square with a border of wood about two feet high. That's where the dogs face off and fight, surrounded by owners and spectators.

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