DES MOINES (AP) - Watching a dog fight would be a felony crime under a bill discussed Thursday by a House panel.

Jim Lykam, D-Davenport, said the number of such events could drop if spectators knew they faced stiffer punishment.

"I think these spectators, if they're not there (at the fights) to gamble on them, then it makes it harder to have these events," he said.

The bill, discussed during a subcommittee meeting of the House Public Safety Committee, would also cover cock fighting.

Lykam said such events aren't a sport.

"These animals are tortured and when they can no longer fight or refuse to fight they hang them or drown them or shoot them," he said. "It's an endeavor I don't think we need in this society."

The measure would strengthen an animal fighting bill passed in 2005 that made it a felony to engage in dog fighting but deemed that watch such a spectacle was only an aggravated misdemeanor. With the proposed felony punishment, offenders could face up to five years in prison, said Kim Haus, a lobbyist for the Humane Society of the United States.

She noted that dog fighting also affects pet owners because the people behind the fights often steal pets to use as "bait dogs" to train the fighting animals.

"I know it's happened in Davenport and some of the border areas where the dogs are used," she said. "This dog is just like a piece of meat out there for them to kill."

Josh Colvin, with the Animal Rescue League of Iowa, said that over the years he has seen numerous dogs with injuries from dog fighting.

He said out-of-state people come to Iowa to watch dog fighting because being a spectator is already a felony in other states. He said it's especially noticeable in border areas, such as Council Bluffs and Davenport.

"We're seeing both ends of the spectrum. We're looking at some of the larger cities and now it's going in to the rural areas too," he said.

Colvin added that the widely publicized Michael Vick dog fighting case has helped raise awareness. Vick, a quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, had been one of the NFL's biggest stars before he was convicted of dog fighting and sentenced to federal prison.

"It's always been here, I think now … people know what to look for a little more and know who to report it to," he said.

A couple of groups, including the Iowa Trial Lawyers Association, told the subcommittee they'd like more information on the measure, which was expected to be sent to the full committee. Some questioned whether someone at a fight who didn't want to be there or wasn't betting should also face the tougher penalty.

Haus, with the Humane Society, maintained that "whoever is there actually partaking is part of the dog fight."