Dog Fighting Still Happens
This blog may be one of the most unpleasant and heart-wrenching you will read. Believe it or not, dog fighting is still very much alive in the United States. Each day, rescue efforts are made to save the hundreds of dogs held captive for the sole purpose of brutal fights and financial gain. This is an illegal endeavor for the organizers, participants, and spectators. Dog fighting is a felony in all fifty states and at the federal level, as well.
Dogs are bred and trained to fight. They are chained the rest of the time and kept in deplorable conditions. Some dogs are used as ‘bait dogs.’ A bait dog is used as the title implies, a dog used as practice for the fighting dog. It is hard for an animal lover to understand any person able to stand by and watch something so disturbing as dog fighting. The injuries the dogs sustain are severe and in some cases, deadly. If it is possible for things to become more horrifying, in some cases, children of all ages are present at these dog fights. This is a tragic treatment of animals in front of very impressionable children. The dogs are put in a pit and fights can last for one to two hours, perhaps even longer. There is no escape and no relief.
Dogs can break bones, receive deep penetrating wounds, and lose ears and eyes. Most often, the injuries go untreated and they are left to die in agony. Accompanying activities include gambling and drug sales, as well as the frequent presence of firearms. This is an activity which has consequences for the people providing the dogs, the venue, and the money. Merely watching can land someone in jail. Most people are in it for the profit. Some seizures of proceeds have garnered $500,000.00. Tens of thousands of dollars can change hands at each fight.
Some people watch for the sadistic pleasure. There is also profit in breeding and selling of dogs for the purposes of fighting. If a dog does not perform, they are not kindly given away nor dropped off at a shelter. They are starved, abandoned, or executed. Contributing to your local animal organizations, national animal organizations, and local law enforcement animal assistance programs can help. If you suspect anyone in your neighborhood is organizing or providing the space for dog fights, you can call your local law enforcement anonymously to report the activity.
