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Dog Fighting BanAlthough dogfights have been around for a long time and were once legal, they aren't anymore and have not been legal for a long time. In part, this is because dogfighting is a type of gambling, and gambling is illegal in all but a few specific situations and states. However, dogfighting is also an aggressive type of animal cruelty, in part because the dogs attack each other and often fight to the point of death for one of them. Of course, dogfighting still exists, but it is now an illegal activity and those who practice it are breaking the law. It is currently set as a misdemeanor, but opponents of it are working for its complete eradication. Be that as it may, the current laws do at least greatly curtail if not completely eliminate the practice.
In the past, dogfighting events have been
considered a form of leisure. Many of those who enjoy this type of pastime see it as simply a form of entertainment. Others participate in it for profit, and both groups do it regardless of the cruelty it involves to the dogs who fight. It is also an incredibly violent pastime, and may be incredibly disturbing for some in the audience to see it. Although there are those who enjoy it, there may be also those, such as children, who are innocent bystanders.
Be that as it may, a common statement by those who support it is that dogs themselves are natural fighters who enjoy it. Even if this is so, however, is organized dogfighting a legitimate sport that should be encouraged?
In a word, no. Although it is true that dogs will naturally fight each other in legitimate situations where they feel threatened or are trying to establish dominance as the natural order of things, in short, a dogfight set up as a form of entertainment for human spectators is an unnatural situation. In the natural world, when dogs fight, they are trying to protect themselves or their pack. Alternatively, they may have to fight to keep their dominant position, since alpha males are the ones in charge in a particular pack. Although this is indeed the natural order of things, the dogs only fight in these specific situations when necessary. In general, they are not violent creatures unless pushed to be so.
In addition, organized dogfighting has another disturbing trend besides just establishing the fighting for the enjoyment of violent humans. This is that the dogs who fight are trained to be violent. Oftentimes, they are trained by being abused or mistreated themselves so that they become mean and fearful. The dogs who become "professional" or frequent fighters do not have good lives. This is even worse than other such forms of similar entertainment, such as dog racing. In dogfighting, dogs' lives are miserable specifically to make them mean so that they will fight. In addition, specific dog breeds, such as pit bulls, are bred specifically to try to get them to exhibit certain traits, such as a hair trigger temper, a willingness to attack with no provocation, much less the slightest provocation, and a tenacity that makes them incredibly dangerous once they do begin to attack, since they won't stop attacking until they are killed themselves, in many cases. Therefore, even when these dogs are not actively fighting, they must be kept restrained and away from humans, since they are incredibly dangerous. In the event their fighting lives are over, there is no choice but for them to be killed (hopefully as humanely as possible), because they cannot be retrained to be docile and become family pets, in most cases. It is because of these developments that dogfighting was eventually outlawed.
Therefore, keep in mind that if you support dogfighting as a "sport," you are supporting an incredibly cruel practice that does no good for anyone. It is not only dangerous and unkind to the dogs involved, but it's also dangerous for humans and for animals such as family pets who may find themselves around those dogs; these dogs become killing machines, in essence, and no living creature is safe around them. |
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