How did this horrible “sport”
Pit Bulls: “Civilized”
come to be? Let’s take a look at the
history of dogfighting. Starting in
Entertainment?
the 12th century, bull baiting was an
excepted and very popular activity in
We live in such a “civilized” society.
If the chubby girl gets cut from the
cheerleading squad everyone
protests, but, throw two pit bulls into
a ring and make them fight, usually
to the death and no one even
notices. In such an “everyone gets a
trophy” society, how is it that such
an atrocious “sport” as dogfighting is
thriving? This problem isn’t just a
southern, back-wood, out-in-the
sticks occurrence. Even in
metropolitan areas like Salt Lake
City, UT; dogfighting is a thriving
and lucrative business.
England. This is where people
would put dogs and a bull into a ring
and have them fight. This was
considered a respectable form of
entertainment among the English
nobility (npr.org). By the early 19th
century, people began to be
concerned about issues of animal
cruelty. In 1835 the British
Parliament outlawed all baiting
activities. Following the law’s
passage dog on dog combat emerged
as a cheaper and legal way to fill the
blood lust (npr.org). The fighting
dogs were crossbred with other
breeds to create fast, agile and
vicious animals capable of brawling
for hours at a time.
Fighting dogs were imported
to the United States shortly before
the Civil War and were crossbred in
hopes of creating the ultimate fierce
Because dogfighting is illegal
in all 50 states, reliable statistics are
hard to come by. Although finding
statistics is difficult, seeing the
results and effects of this
“entertainment” is not.
canine fighter: the American Pit Bull
Terrier. Dogfighting quickly became
a popular spectator sport in the
United States. Concerns about the
humaneness of dogfighting grew, and
by the 1860’s most states had
outlawed the sport. None the less, it
continued to flourish into the 20th
century, with widespread support
from the general public and police
officials (npr.org). Today in 2012 the
sport of dogfighting is just as
popular; it has just gone
underground.
Figure 1
According to the Humane Society of
the United States, the nightmare of
dog fighting is growing. Fifteen
years ago approximately 2 to 3
percent of dogs that came into the
humane society were pit bulls.
Today that number is up to 30% and
in some areas, the number goes all
the street. The participants in these
the way up to 60%. Of these dogs,
fights are usually gangs or of other
over 20% show visual scars and
criminal elements so there are often
injuries from dogfighting
drugs and person on person violence
(humanesociety.org).
at these fights. These types of
John Goodwin, an expert on
animal fighting with the Humane
Society says, “There are an
estimated 40,000 people involved in
professional dogfighting in the
United States. Fight purses can go as
fights are the hardest to control
because they are not organized.
They are just quickly thrown
together when the “need” arises
(cnn.com).
As mentioned, the dogs most
high as $100,000” (cnn.com). With
often used for dogfighting are Pit
this much money on the line, you can
bulls. The truth of the matter is that
see why it is so hard to stop these
“Pit Bull” isn’t even an actual dog
dogfights.
breed. There are 3 breeds that are
It is estimated that there are
100,000 people participating in
“street dog fights.” These are fights
that are not well organized and
usually happen in basements or on
called Pit Bulls; the staffshire
Terrier, the American Pit Bull
Terrier, and American Bully. The
greater part of the public couldn’t
even pick a “pit bull” out at a lineup
of similar looking dogs. This bodes
loving, and loyal family pets.
very badly for these poor dogs.
Because they are used in fighting
and can be trained to be very
aggressive dogs, they have a
horrible reputation as mean, blood
thirsty dogs. So any time someone
gets bit or attacked by a mid-sized
short haired dog, it is automatically a
Figure 2
pit bull. Dr. Frank McMillian, the
I have been asked many times when
director of well-being studies at
walking a pit bull “that dog is
Best Friends Animal Society says
gorgeous what kind is it?” Funny
“Of all dogs pit bulls possess the
how it is hard to recognize a pit bull
single greatest ability to bond with
when it is a sweet well-behaved dog.
people” (sportsillastrated.cnn.com).
Because of this horrible reputation a
The public needs to be educated
lot of cities are passing breed
about these dogs and the fact that it
specific laws that ban all of the pit
is the training that makes them
bull breeds. These are knee jerk
aggressive and dangerous, not the
reactions by people that are totally
breed. They need to be shown that
uneducated about the breeds
the Pit bull breeds make great
considered pit bulls. Pit Bulls make
most worried about so dogfighting
great pets and often score better on
gets caught in the out-of-sight, out
the American Temperament Test
of mind position. The only time any
than dogs like Golden Retrievers and
real investigation of dog fights is
Collies (fortheloveofpits.org). These
done, is when a witness brings forth
are wonderful dogs that are trying to
good information on a big
climb out from under years of
organization. They don’t really go
torturous treatment as fighting dogs
looking for dogfighting rings. Dog
and an uneducated public won’t let
fighter’s in general, and especially
them.
professional fighters, are such a tight
What is being done to stop the
sport that gives these dogs this bad
name? Unfortunately, not much.
The only time that this problem gets
any media attention is when high
profile people like football player,
Michael Vick get caught up in an
investigation.
lipped group, that rarely is someone
willing to offer up the kind of
information will merit an
investigation. Usually it is an
onlooker at a street fight that will
call and report the dog fighting and
all that results is the police show up
and take a report and maybe remove
a couple of dogs if injuries are
Police, being public servants
concentrate on what the public is
visible, and that’s the end of the
investigation.
If we are going to stop this
horrible sport the public needs to be
made more aware of the fact that it
is going on and in their own
communities. Bringing this atrocity
out of the shadows and into the lime
light will create greater public outcry
which will in turn put more pressure
on law makers to do something about
it. This is man’s best friend forced to
compete in the most inhumane
“sport” and it goes unnoticed every
day and it must be stopped.
Works Cited
cnn.com. articles.cnn.com/200707018/us/dog.fighting_1_illegal-bloodsport-underground-dogfightingmagazines-animal-shelters?_s=PM:US.
n.d.
Figure1. Synthasite.com.
Figure2. pitbullproject.ca.
fortheloveofpits.org.
www.fortheloveofpits.org/Education/Li
brary/Society/ATTS.htm. n.d.
humanesociety.org.
"humanesociety.org/search.jsp?query=
dog+fighting+numbers." n.d.
npr.org.
www.npr.org/templates/story.php?stor
yId=12108421. n.d.
sportsillastrated.cnn.com.
sportsillastrated.cnn.com/2008/magazi
ne/12/22/vick.dogs/1.html. n.d.