CHEYENNE (AP) -- Gov. Dave Freudenthal signed a bill Tuesday that will increase the penalty for dogfighting and similar forms of animal abuse in Wyoming, the last state to make the offense a felony.

With a pack of about a half dozen therapy dogs milling around him in the Capitol rotunda, Freudenthal credited Rep. Rosie Berger, R-Big Horn, and other lawmakers for pushing for the last several years to increase the penalty from a misdemeanor.

One of the dogs put a paw print on a copy of the bill. Freudenthal said only his signature would appear on the official copy retained for state records.

"I've always said that the problem with legislators is that they're a lot like puppies; they have to piddle on everything that goes by," Freudenthal joked. "I think we've proven that here today."

Berger said Tuesday marked the best day of her legislative career. She said passing the legislation sends a message that Wyoming is serious about the issue.

Therapy Dogs Inc., of Cheyenne, brought the dogs to mark the event. Ann Butrick, co-founder of the company, said the dogs go into area nursing homes and hospitals to cheer people up.

Butrick said she was happy to see dogfighting become a felony on first conviction.

"Definitely, it should be a law," Butrick said. "It's unfair to the dogs. We have some pretty nice dogs that get caught up in this."

Sen. Bob Fecht, R-Cheyenne, is chief of police in Cheyenne. In an interview after the signing ceremony, he said that dogfighting hasn't proven to be a serious problem in Cheyenne and Laramie County.

However, Fecht said that police have seen some limited dogfighting activity around the state.

"Certainly the national media attention has made us aware that we don't want to be the safe haven for this," Fecht said.

Once the law goes into effect July 1, Berger said that anyone convicted of conducting dogfighting or cockfighting faces a sentence of up to two years in addition to a $5,000 fine.

Berger said it's important to crack down on dogfighting because it "brings along with it so many serious criminal activities."

Berger said there's so much money involved in dogfighting that people might have been willing to risk a misdemeanor conviction to continue doing it. She said the prospect of a felony conviction should deter them.