Dog Fighting, Abuse and a Felony

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Dog fighting and animal abuse are rampant across the U.S. An abundant amount of reports reveal a shocking number of animal cruelty cases, and these are just the cases that have been reported.  Many people undermine animal cruelty and dog fighting. Some, who know little about dog fighting, argue that it should not be a felony offense. You should know some facts about animal abuse and dog fighting before you reach your verdict.

Many animal shelters deal with vast animal abuse cases that include dog fighting, neglected and chained animals, and deadly attacks on animals. Dogs are the most common victims of animal abuse, with pit bulls being the number one target. Of almost 2 thousand animal cruelty cases reported in 2007, sixty-five percent involved dogs. In 2000 and 2001, pit bulls were the victims in 13 percent of reported dog abuse. In 2007, that number increased to 25 percent.

Dog fighting, in case you didn’t know, is a vicious contest where two dogs, usually pit-bulls, are trained, bred, and conditioned for the utmost fierceness. These dogs are even given steroids to make them mean and fierce. This is staged animal fighting, done for nothing more than pure profit and entertainment. Dog fights normally last an hour, or sometimes, two hours. Dog fights are over when one of the dogs cannot continue, because the dog is either dead or is too injured to move. The injuries these dogs suffer after a fight, often includes shock, broken bones, blood loss, infection, dehydration and exhaustion.

With their intense training, and after they are given steroids, these pit bulls are capable of inflicting deep and deadly puncture wounds on their opponent.

These fighting dog victims also pose a threat to communities, after they are trained to be ferocious. Organized dog fighting is illegal and a felony offense in all 50 states, yet most states only give misdemeanor-level penalties for this crime. This does nothing to daunt animal fighters and the blood sport remains wide-spread, partly because of the glamorization of this crime in music videos and mostly for profit.

Pit bulls are great companions, are very loyal dogs by nature. The criminal owners of these dogs use their loyalty to train them to fight. The poor dogs that make it out of these fights alive are abused more by being neglected. They are kept on short chains their entire life in between fights, and receive no care for internal injuries, broken bones which cause deformities, and deep puncture wounds. If the dogs’ owner is charged, the dog continues to suffer and is usually unfit for adoption.

 I urge you to write to state legislatures, the media, law enforcement officials, judges, or prosecutors if this intolerable crime is still treated as misdemeanor in your state.