Dog Fighting
Pit bulls are very intelligent, loyal, eager to please, and energetic dogs. They also have a very high tolerance for pain. These characteristics unfortunately also make them the breed of choice for dog fighters. These dogs are not inherently mean or vicious. It is those who take a wonderful breed of dog and use them for dog fighting who are at fault. The very qualities that make the pit bull an excellent companion dog are what makes them so appealing to criminals.
Dog fighters often starve, abuse, and beat these dogs to prepare them for the fighting ring. Many times dogs are pumped full of drugs such as steroids to help build muscle mass. They are kept on heavy chains, isolated from human contact to break their spirit. Stories of little puppies locked in dark closets for days at at a time with no food or water, forced to lie in their own waste are not uncommon. Dogs are sometimes fed gunpowder by fighters who think this will make the dogs more aggressive. Bottle caps are implanted under the skin to cause horrific pain in order to increase aggression. The dogs are forced to walk on treadmills to increase their stamina for dog fighting.
A dog fight involves two dogs fighting until one is either dead or severely injured and can no longer fight. Other dogs including puppies, cats or even rabbits are used as "bait" to get the dog aroused for the fight. Often times thousands of dollars are waged on the dog fight, sometimes drugs are also involved. Many times the losing dog is left to die, or it is often killed by its owner for losing the fight. The winner lives on to fight another day. Young children are often brought to these fights, exposing them to a whole subculture of violence.
This wonderful breed of dog is not to blame. They do not choose to fight, it is the humans that are fighting them. We as a civilized society must step up and say that enough is enough. It is against federal law to transport dogs across state lines for the purposes of dog fighting. We all need to lobby our state legislators to make sure there are strict laws on the books in every state in the union that makes dog fighting illegal, that makes it a felony to fight a dog, watch a dog fight, or to bring a child to a dog fight. The message that we send has to be that dog fighting is NOT okay, and if you participate in any way, you will be punished.
Remember one thing: bully breeds have among the highest success rates of passing the American Temperament Test than any other breed. They are by nature loving, loyal and intelligent family pets. It is the human element that is forcing a wonderful breed of dog to fight. Many people out there have a misconception as to what a wonderful breed of dog the bully breeds are. People need to do their research about the breed before passing judgment. It is dog fighting, lack of knowledge about the breed, a misinformed public and a hysterical media that fuels the anti pit bull mentality in this country. We need to educate ourselves about the breed and bring those that fight these dogs to justice. We owe the breed at least that much.
Any suspected dog fighting activities should be reported to
local law enforcement or animal control.