There are two types of dogfighting: street fighting and professional
dogfighting. Street
fighting is less professional and serves more as a symbol for the people who
take part of gangs.. Up to 100,000 people in the US may be
taking part in street fighting. Rival gangs force their dogs to fight against
each other in bloody battles that take place in garages, alleys or abandoned
buildings.
Professional
dogfighting is a highly organized subculture, made up of secret groups. Professional dog fighters publish their own magazines that report the results of fights and
chart lineages of successful fighting dogs. They travel widely to show off and
fight their dogs. Some do it part-time, staying within the local community.
Others make their living by breeding, training, fighting and gambling on the
animals. This all seams acceptable, but the dogs live in very bad circumstances.
These
dogs are not allowed to live normal lives. Instead, they spend their time
chained in place, training or fighting. They often live in small cages and in filthy
conditions. Handlers use heavy chains to hold dogs in place, frequently adding
weights to them, all with the purpose of increasing a dog’s upper-body
strength. Dogs are kept close to each other, but just out of reach in order to
increase their antagonism.
Professional
dogfighters make training regimens. Food and nutritional intake are
meticulously measured. Some trainers give dogs steroids injections
and supplements. To build endurance, dogs are forced to run on treadmills and
to swim in pools, sometimes for hours. Trainers keep detailed records of their
dogs’ exercise and feedings.
To
increase aggressiveness, the animals are frequently beaten and antagonized.
They may also be starved. As part of training, handlers will take cats or
rabbits, often stolen, and use these animals as “bait.” These bait animals are
tied up while the dog is restrained, or they’re put in a small enclosure with
the dog. After training with the bait, the handler unchains the dog and allows
him to kill it.
Handlers
make their dogs tug on hanging objects, like tires, to increase jaw strength.
Some handlers file their dogs’ teeth to be as sharp as possible so that maximum
damage can be caused.
I personally
think that Pit Bull fights should be illegal, not Pit bulls. In many states pit
bull fighting is legal. The government is blaming the dogs; they are aggressive
because we made them that way. It was our choice, now the dogs need to suffer.