Dog+Fighting


 * =====Dogs are forced by their owners to fight against each other=====
 * =====Dogs who fight have a one in three chance of dying from infection or injury=====
 * =====In "trunking" two dogs are thrown in the trunk of a moving car and bets are placed on which dog will come out alive=====
 * =====Owners often abuse thier dogs to make them more aggressive=====
 * =====The majority of dogs involved in fights are pitbulls=====
 * =====Dogs are usually abandoned after they are not able to fight anymore=====



How would you feel if you were being held against your will each day and could do nothing about it? Unfortunately, that's the case for thousands of dogs who are abused and forced to fight on a daily basis. Dog fighting should be monitored more closely and animal abusers should have to face more consequences through the law because hurting animals for entertainment is a cruel and inhumane action.

Dog fights often lead to severe injuries or even deaths for dogs. Dogs who participate in fights, especially pit bulls, have a one in three chance of dying from injury or infection (Law Makers Seek Penalties with More Bite to Help Squash Dog fighting). According to "Urban Dog Fighters Tough to Track", in "trunking", a specific form of dog fighting, two dogs are thrown in the trunk of a moving car and bets are placed on which dog will come out alive. There are various brutal and unusual forms of dog fighting, and in every situation the dogs always end up injured, or even dead.

Besides dogs hurting each other, owners also abuse and neglect their dogs. Often dogs who participate in fights are abused by their owners to “make them tougher”, as said in “It’s a Dog-Fight-Dog World”. Additionally, once dogs are no longer able to fight as well as they used to, they are abandoned and left to die since their owners see them as worthless. Dogs that are forced to fight suffer from severe violence and do not get the proper care and attention they need. Statistics show that animals that are abused are often connected with dog fighting. In “Animal Cruelty Facts and Statistics” it is stated that in 2007 sixty-four percent of 1,880 animal abuse cases involved dogs. Furthermore, according to ‘Urban Dog Fighters Tough to Track” many of the dogs that enter animal shelters are neglected pit bulls that are very aggressive and hard to handle. Most of the dog abuse is a result of dog fighting and the abandoned pit bulls have a violent attitude only because of their past life of fighting.

Contrary to my beliefs, some people believe that dog fighting provides entertainment and the dogs are just doing what they are bred to do. For example, in Afghanistan, dog fighting is a large part of the culture and dog owners become celebrities and even hold government jobs (It’s a Dog-Fight-Dog World). Supporters also say that pit bulls are commonly bred for fighting and are naturally more aggressive. In my opinion, dogs are not “naturally aggressive”. Their traits are developed based on the people who raise them.

Fortunately, more legislation has been created to keep violent people from hurting animals. Laws have been made that require animal abusers to register with authorities and their personal information will be put online for the public to see (Laws Would Require Animal Abusers to Register). People who have abused animals also have to face financial penalties. After an abused animal is taken away, the owner must pay to bring it back to full health (In Defense of Animals). The laws constructed to punish animal abusers are a good start to making a change, but they need be enforced more strictly to set an example for others.

Even though some laws have been made to regulate animal abuse, I believe that animal abusers should have more financial punishments and have to complete community service. Money collected from abusers could go to animal shelters to care for rescued animals like the ones they previously owned. Spending time helping at a shelter would teach abusers how to properly care for animals. Additionally, animal abusers, nationally, should have to register online for the public to see. This would prevent violent people from purchasing any other animals and would keep many animals from becoming severely injured. These methods would save thousands of lives and would encourage people to stop abusing their animals.

Animal abuse is something that hurts millions of animals and it needs to be stopped. Animals cannot control what happens to them, so it is up to us to protect them from predators and cruel forms of entertainment such as dog fighting. More laws and actions need to be taken and enforced to put an end to animal abuse today. 