Q: When and how did dog fighting come to America?
A: Although there are historical accounts of dog fights going back to the 1750's, widespread activity emerged after the Civil War, with professional pits proliferating in the 1860's, mainly in the Northeast. Ironically, it was a common entertainment for police officers and firemen, and the "Police Gazette" served as a major source of information on dog fighting for many years. Although many laws were passed outlawing the activity, dog fighting continued to expand throughout the 20th century.
Q. Who is involved in dog fighting?
Most law enforcement experts divide dogfight activity into three categories: street fighting, hobbyist fighting and professional activity:
"Street" fighters engage in dog fights that are informal, street corner, back alley and playground activities. Stripped of the rules and formality of the traditional pit fight, these are spontaneous events triggered by insults, turf invasions or the simple taunt, "My dog can kill yours." Many of these participants lack even a semblance of respect for the animals they fight, forcing them to train while wearing heavy chains to build stamina, and picking street fights in which they could get seriously hurt. Many of the dogs are bred to be a threat not only to other dogs, but to people as well—with tragic consequences.
"Street" fights are frequently associated with gang activities. The fights may be conducted with money, drugs or bragging rights as the primary payoff. There is often no attempt to care for animals injured in the fight and police or animal control officers frequently encounter dead or dying animals in the aftermath of such fights. This activity is very difficult to respond to unless it is reported immediately. "Professional" fighters and "hobbyists" decry the techniques and results of these newcomers to the "blood sport."
"Hobbyist" fighters are more organized, with one or more dogs participating in several organized fights a year as a sideline for both "entertainment" and to attempt to supplement income. They pay more attention to care and breeding of the dogs and are more likely to be traveling across state lines for events.
"Professional" dog fighters often have large numbers of animals (often 50 or more) and earn money from breeding, selling and fighting dogs at a central location and on the road. They often pay particular attention to promoting established winning bloodlines and to long-term conditioning of animals. They regularly dispose of animals that are not successful fighters or breeders using a variety of methods, including shooting and blunt force trauma. Unlike "professional" dog fighters of the past, both "professionals" and "hobbyists" of today may dispose of dogs that are too human-aggressive for the pit by selling them to "street" fighters or others who are simply looking for an aggressive dog—thus contributing to the dog bite problem.
In recent years a fourth category of dog fighters seems to be emerging, with some wealthier individuals from the sports and entertainment worlds allegedly using their financial resources to promote "professional" dog fighting enterprises, which essentially use the philosophy and training techniques usually associated with street fighting.
Q. What goes on in a dog fight?
As noted above, fights can take place in a variety of locations and at any time. They may be impromptu events in a back alley, or carefully planned and staged enterprises in a location specially designed and maintained for the purpose. Usually the fight takes place in a pit that is between 14 and 20 feet square, with sides that may be plywood, hay bales, chain link or anything else that can contain the animals. The flooring may be dirt, wood, carpet or sawdust. The pit has "scratch lines" marked in opposite corners, where the dogs will face each other 12 to 14 feet apart.
In a more organized fight, the dogs will be weighed to make sure they are approximately the same weight. Handlers will often wash and examine the opponent's dog to remove any toxic substances that may have been placed on the fur in an attempt to harm the opposing dog. At the start of the fight, the dogs are released from their corners and usually meet in the middle, seeking to get a hold on the opponent, often shaking and tearing to maximize damage. Handlers are not permitted to touch the dogs except when told to do so by the referee. This can happen if dogs become "fanged," with the tooth of one dog embedded in the skin of its opponent. Becoming "fanged" may require the use of a "breaking stick" (also called a "bite stick") to pry the animals apart. If the action slows or if a dog turns away from his opponent without renewing his attack, the referee may call a "turn," and require that the dogs be returned to the corners and released after 20-30 seconds. If the dog that committed the "turn" fails to cross the pit and grip his opponent, the match is over and the other dog is the winner. A draw may occur if both dogs fail to "scratch" several times in succession, i.e. repeatedly fail to cross the "scratch lines" and re-engage in the fight. This is generally a rare and unpopular end for those involved.
Q. What happens to the losing dog?
Losing dogs are often discarded, killed or left untreated, unless they have had a good history of past performance or come from valuable bloodlines. If the losing dog is perceived to be a particular embarrassment to the reputation or status of its owner, it may be executed in a particularly brutal fashion as part of the "entertainment."
Q. How widespread is dog fighting in America?
As with any other illegal underground activity, it is impossible to determine how many people may be involved in dog fighting. Estimates based on fight reports in underground dog fighting publications, and on animals entering shelters with evidence of fighting, suggest that the number of people involved in dog fighting in the U.S. is in the tens of thousands.
While organized dog fighting activity seemed to decline in the 1990's, many law enforcement and animal control officials feel that it has rebounded in recent years. Street fighting has reportedly continued to grow as a significant component of urban crime. The Internet has also made it easier for dog fighters to rapidly exchange information about animals and fights.
Q. Is dog fighting more prevalent in one part of the country or another?
No. Dog fighting has been reported in urban, suburban and rural settings in all regions of the country. Fighters were traditionally attracted to states with weaker penalties for dog fighting and animal cruelty, many in the South—but these laws have generally been made stronger throughout the country. As a result, this activity is no longer limited to any single area, but it is more likely to thrive wherever enforcement of these laws is weak.
Q. What dogs are used in dog fighting?
Although there are many breeds of dogs used for fighting worldwide, the dog of choice for fighting in America is the American Pit Bull Terrier. In addition, Fila Brasileiros, Dog Argentinos and Presa Canarios have also been used in this blood sport. Occasionally Doberman Pinschers or German Shepherds are reportedly used in street fights, or as "bait dogs" to train fighting dogs.
In the early days of dog fighting, the Bull Terrier was the dog of choice for this brutal blood sport, but it was replaced in the early 20th century by the American Pit Bull Terrier, the Americanized version of the bull terriers developed from larger bull-baiting dogs in England, when smaller and faster dogs were needed to replace the larger dogs used in bull and bear-baiting that took place in pits.
Q. How are fighting dogs raised and trained?
Fighting dogs must be kept isolated from other dogs, so they spend most of their lives on short heavy chains, often just out of reach of other dogs. They are usually poorly socialized to any other dogs and to most people. However, many "professional" fighters invest much time and money in conditioning their animals. They are often given quality nutrition, basic veterinary care and exercised under controlled conditions where they will have limited contact with other dogs, such as on a treadmill or "jenny."
The conditioning of fighting dogs may also make use of a variety of legal and illegal drugs, often including anabolic steroids to enhance muscle mass and encourage aggressiveness. Narcotic drugs may also be used to increase the dogs' aggression and mask pain during a fight. Young animals are often trained or tested by allowing them to fight with other dogs while muzzled or leashed in well-controlled "rolls." Those that show little inclination to fight may be discarded or killed at an early age. Some fighters will use inexperienced "bait dogs" as sparring partners, often using stolen pets.
There are many other common techniques used in the training and testing of dogs, but these methods vary widely among different fighters and may range from systematic to haphazard. "Street" fighters usually make little investment in conditioning their animals, relying on "quick fixes" to produce aggression. These might starvation, physical abuse, and use of stimulants or other drugs to excite the dogs.
Q. Why do fighting dogs have their ears cropped and tails docked?
Fighting dogs used by all types of fighters usually have their ears cropped and tails docked close to their bodies. This serves two purposes: First, it limits the number of areas of the body that another dog might grab onto in a fight, and second, it makes it more difficult for other dogs to read the animal's mood and intentions through the normal body language cues most non-fighting dogs would use to reduce the need for aggressive encounters. (Many fighters perform this cropping/docking themselves, using crude and inhumane techniques. This can lead them to face additional charges related to animal cruelty and/or the illegal practice of veterinary medicine.)
Q. What happens to dogs that are seized from dog fight operations? Can they be rehabilitated?
Fighting dogs have been bred and trained to inflict injuries on other animals, and are difficult to house and care for. They are often relatively friendly to people, primarily adult males, since such people have been the only source of food and attention—but they can be unpredictable around people and any other animals. Concerns about liability, public safety and other risks mean that most animals seized from such operations are not adoptable, meaning they cannot be considered candidates for successful placement, and often have to be euthanized.
Confiscated fighting dogs are also at high risk of being stolen from shelters, foster care or other placements and returned to the fight trade. Exceptions are sometimes made for puppies or other animals who show no signs of training or use in fighting, and who do not exhibit tendencies of aggression towards other animals or people. However, such animals must be carefully evaluated by trained animal behavior professionals, such as Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists, and their placement must be monitored over the long term.
