I read something today that just absolutely blew me away.
"...it's true that these breeds love fighting so much that we could discuss about whether dogfighting is -- in the case of these breeds -- mistreatment of the dogs..."
What's truly mind-boggling is that this statement did not come from a professional dogfighter. It's not from a gang lord or a drug dealer to justify using dogfight gambling to make and move money. This is from a professional dog trainer.
How any professional could think that dogfighting -- torn skin, deep punctures, broken bones, and the abusive "training" to prepare and then separate fighting dogs (one method of breaking apart is to hold flame to a dog's genitals) -- is not "mistreatment" is utterly beyond me. The statement that a pit bull sincerely enjoys this justifies the abuse and criminalizes the breed.
I do agree with some of what this person said, that pit bulls should not be given greater latitude in behavior or temperament simply because they are poor, victimized pit bulls. I am not in favor of passing an iffy dog through a temperament test because of breed, whether that dog is a often-abused pit bull type or a can't-be-really-aggressive Golden Retriever. I do agree that people shouldn't choose a pit bull just to make a point or just to coddle one and they should be aware that the breed -- like every single other breed -- has advantages and drawbacks. But I am utterly, wholly, madly against criminalizing a breed and justifying the worst of human cruelty.
There are many, many sites with awful, graphic photos of the results of dogfighting. These should be enough to convince that it is far beyond "mistreatment," but I'm going to include a link to photos taken just this past weekend, of an abandoned fighting dog left to die on the side of a road -- one broken foreleg, one previously-broken and badly healed foreleg, more than fifty punctures "large enough to put a finger in," and more. This dog could not be saved and was euthanized. But tell me -- could you look into this dog's face and say you believed he enjoyed this? Can you look at this dog and say that it's not abuse, not mistreatment, not a terrible human problem creating trouble for our community and our dogs?
Not so suprised but still revolted
I've read a lot of books about dogs and dog fighting. The books I read were written by ethologists and undercover agents. Most dogs are fighting out of learned aggression and feare
This one man went undercover and talked to a breeder that breeds pits for fighting. The breeder said something along these lines:
The dogs learn how to kill at an early age. They have role models too. They watch older dogs kill little animals. The puppies are tortured by people (smacked around, threatened) until they growl at the attacker. They continue this until the dog bites.
The reinforcer is the fact that they STOP abusing the dog. So it's established that the dogs are abused or not cared for in a humane manner even before they are fought. Then you have the genetics. Apparently the dogs are naturally more aggressive because they breed the more aggressive ones to the aggressive ones. (yes aggression is somewhat genetic)
That dog trainer is pretty much out there.
I read this exerpt ( I don't know where it's from) but this was the story:
This lady took her lab to a dog trainer. The first thing they did was tie the dogs down so they cannot move. Then the dog trainer severely beat the dog until they "submit" to him. He beat one dog to death apparently. No one objected and she left (thank GOD) The people there was buying that CRAP. There's a lot of different philosophies and some are just... interesting and wrong
I wanted to share the
I wanted to share the following comment (from someone else, on the dog in the photos) as well --
"Poor, injured, tortured dog, limping toward strangers on its broken forelegs, seeking help. Things like this make me think that the people responsible need to suffer similar treatment. It's just awful... and tragic for the dogs."
I find it amazing that this dog, after all it had been through, was still seeking people. The true human-friendly origin of the breed is still in there, despite all that's been done. We humans need to own up to our actions.
Additional resource!
Indy Pit Crew's flier on Dog Fighting Awareness can be downloaded here! Fight illegal dogfighting!