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Brutality has always held an equal share of horror and fascination for the human race. Ancient forms of brutality such as gladiator combat in ancient Rome or bear-baiting in medieval England have died out. A few others have managed to thrive to this day. One of these is the blood sport of dog fighting.
According to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), dog fighting is a “sadistic contest” between two dogs, most bred, conditioned and trained to fight. Fights take place in a pit where the two dogs fight until one can or will no longer continue. Gambling is as much a part of the sport as the actual fight itself, a highly lucrative aspect with spectators wagering thousands of dollars on favorites.
Dog fighting is outlawed in America, a fully deserved legal status for a barbaric act. It is a felony in 48 states, and a misdemeanor in Idaho and Wyoming. But despite the laws against it, the industry is booming. “There are about a dozen underground dog-fighting magazines,” said John Goodwin, a dog-fighting expert with the HSUS.
Dogs – usually American pit bull terriers – are trained to fight from a very young age. Chains, weights and drugs are just a few of the tools used to train the dogs, tools that would be called torture devices if used on humans. Some owners train dogs with the use of smaller animals such as cats or rabbits, which are usually stolen pets or found through “free to a good home” advertisements. Using these animals in such a manner would horrify their former owners, and rightfully so.
Injuries the dogs inflict on one another are almost always severe. Deep puncture wounds and broken bones are the immediate wounds. Shock, dehydration and infection are only a few of the many effects that can harm a dog hours or even days after a fight. In the worst case, the dog dies. Some would argue that this release from the torture of the pit is a blessing merely because the dogs have no chance at a better life. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is one of these voices.
In June, promising NFL quarterback Michael Vick was indicted for competitive dog fighting and for bringing the sport over state lines. Vick and three other men allegedly attended fights, actively betted and routinely executed dogs that did not perform well.
Almost 50 pit bulls were seized from Vick’s property. For months, debate raged over whether the dogs should be euthanized. “It's widely accepted that euthanasia is the most humane thing for them,” claimed PETA’s spokeswoman.
HSUS agreed with this assessment. Rescue operations fought to give the dogs a second chance at life, a battle that came frightfully close to costing 47 dogs lives that have proved were worthy of saving. Today, 22 of the dogs are being rehabilitated at the Best Friends Animal Society, while the other 25 have been scattered to other shelters around the country, as CNN recently documented. The National Geographic Channel will be profiling four of the most badly abused dogs and their rehabilitation as part of the ongoing television series “Dogtown.”
An estimated 40,000 people in the United States are believed to be involved in dog fighting, according to CNN. Goodwin says underground dog fighting magazines and registries are very much in existence. For an illegal hobby designed for harming live animals, the evidence of an organized infrastructure developed around it is disquieting.
Though dog fighting is illegal in all 50 states, in states such as Idaho or Georgia it is not illegal to own a fighting dog or be a spectator at a dog fight. HSUS argues on their Web site that spectatorship should also be considered a felony. Admission fees and spectator gambling are a large part of what allows the sport to flourish. As an underground and illegal sport, spectators cannot simply stumble over dog fighting but need to actively look for it, which more than proves that spectatorship should be a felony.
The admission fees and gambling, along with underground magazines and registries, are signs of an underground subculture largely undeterred by the prohibitions and penalties already in place. Harsher penalties have been imposed following the Vick scandal, but the dog fighting culture has not been cowed before, and there seems to be little reason for it to be cowed now.
Vick is currently serving a 23-month sentence in a maximum-security facility situated in Leavenworth, Kansas. He agreed to pay almost $1 million to the various shelters that are housing his former pit bulls. Depending on his conduct, he may be released as early as 2009 or as late as 2010.
That Vick will be released so early despite willful execution of his pit bulls and indulging in such a terrible hobby is an indication that current penalties are not harsh enough. Fighting dog owners, according to the HSUS Web site, argue that the sport hurts no one and that the dogs are allowed to do what they love. But those dogs who allegedly love to fight were brainwashed when they were puppies. The only thing they know how to do is fight. Small wonder that HSUS and PETA were in favor of euthanizing Vick’s pit bulls.
The lives of nearly 50 dogs hung in the balance. The rescue missions who managed to save them proved that some, though not all, of the dogs could be rehabilitated. More dogs are being brainwashed to the point of no return. This is more than enough reason to call for harsher legislation against dog fighting and anything to do with it.
Submitted 02-14-2008
MALIBU, CA
