Miami-Dade Commissioners Move Forward With Trunking Resolution

Resolution would double penalty for brutal dog fighting trend

Miami-Dade commissioners are moving ahead with a resolution that would impose stiffer penalties for the brutal dog fighting trend of trunking.

Commissioners gave unanimous approval to go forward with the resolution during a Tuesday morning meeting.


The resolution, sponsored by commission Chairwoman Rebeca Sosa, would establish a $2,000 penalty for trunking, a new form of animal fighting in which two dogs are placed inside the trunk of a car and driven around with the music blaring as they fight to the death.

The $2,000 penalty is double the standard county fine for animal fighting.

"This is a horrendous practice that takes dog fighting to new depths of cruelty, and we need to do whatever we can to put a stop to it by punishing perpetrators to the fullest extent possible," Sosa said.

Sosa said there haven't been many arrests made for trunking because it's a difficult crime to catch.

On Tuesday, however, a 32-year-old Goulds man appeared in Miami-Dade bond court who faces 10 counts of animal cruelty for trunking dogs, according to authorities. Miami-Dade Circuit Judge William Thomas set Damian Labon’s bond at $15,000. It wasn’t known whether Labon has an attorney.

“We had our first trunking-related arrest. I can't comment on details because it is an investigation,” said Alex Munoz, the director of Miami-Dade Animal Services.

He said his office has been getting a lot of leads that trunking is taking place throughout South Florida.

"This is dog fighting of another form, all types of dog fighting is quite honestly disgusting and reprehensible," Munoz said. "It's something that we need to put an end to and that we need to stay on top of to make sure it doesn't turn into anything else."

More Local Stories:

Contact Us