Dogfighting – Who Gets Hurt?

I think by now, for anyone who has been reading my site for any amount of time, you know that I am an advocate of animal welfare and dogs are my passion and love. Crimes against canines, whether abuse, neglect or just the existence of puppy mills, the unfair discrimination of BSL or the horrors of dogfighting, they all get my attention and I work to bring them to your attention so that you can see the realities.

I have many dear friends who also work just as hard, in rescue and shelters, in the trences and on the side line, and one of my friends sent me an email yesterday and told me about an article that a friend at the Missouri Pitbull Rescue wrote on dogfighting. I read it and want to share it but first I want to share a poem my friend sent. I think by now that you all know the only innocents in the cruel world of dogfighting are the dogs as a breed and if they could talk, this might be what they have to say. Thank you Gig for sharing this with me so that I may share it with others!

Crucify Me

Fight me, deny me, and crucify me,
My sins are yours, they’re not mine.
You make me what I am, evil at your command.
You send me to meet my challenger, whatever it may be.
I risk my life to line your pockets for nothing but pain and agony.

Three feet of chain with nowhere to go, there’s not much here to see.
No time to play, its work, work, work, that’s how life is for me.
Run the treadmill. Pull the blocks and hang there from the tree.
If my ribs feel a little thick, then not much food for me.

I’m in tip top shape, a muscle bound freak, with all the attitude I need.
I’ve got gameness several generations back. You should see my pedigree!
Pump me up! Hype me up! Throw me some bait! How about that young pup?
Watch me rip his eyeballs out; I need the taste of blood.

I’ve been hit. I’ve been beat. I’ve been left to die in the ring.
I’ve been sewed up! I’ve been ripped open and I’ve had several bones broken!
I’ve scratched when I couldn’t stand and I’ve stood up when I couldn’t scratch!
I’ve killed a few dogs and I’ve nearly died when I’ve met my match!

Fight me, deny me, and crucify me,
My sins are yours, they’re not mine.
You make me what I am, evil at your command.
You send me to meet my challenger, whatever it may be.
I risk my life to line your pockets for nothing but pain and agony.

You find amusement at my torn, hanging skin
and just when my body heals, you make me do it again.
Why couldn’t I have been a happy dog with a master who shared some love?
Not some twisted psychopath, who owes his life to drugs.

I do this evil to earn my keep. Somehow, I must be fed.
The men in suits, they point at me and say they want me dead.
Even the lucky ones in happy homes who have never felt my pain,
must face the executioners because they bear my name.

Fight me, deny me, and crucify me,
My sins are yours, they’re not mine.
You make me what I am, evil at your command.
You send me to meet my challenger, whatever it may be.
I risk my life to line your pockets for nothing but pain and agony.

I’ve grown too old now to fight in your ring
You’ve left me no chance, to ever be free
I lay in the darkness, no one at my side
my last fight I lost, my eyes no longer can see
this is what you have done, do you not feel shame?
I can no longer walk, run or play
you have a new puppy now, the one to take my place
the cold and darkness closing now, you have nothing to say?

I lay here in pain and my own blood
I still believe that you love me and I try to stay awake
But you kick me and wish me dead then tell them to tie the bag
The darkness is here now; I hope they catch you, for the new puppy’s sake

Fight me, deny me, and crucify me,
My sins are yours, they’re not mine.
You make me what I am, evil at your command.
You send me to meet my challenger, whatever it may be.
I risk my life to line your pockets for nothing but pain and agony.

Alan W Joslin

The following was written by Courtney Sebring – MPR Volunteer

Dogfighting – Who Gets Hurt?

With all of the media hype involved around the Michael Vick case, let’s take a real look at the world of dogfighting and what it entails.Dogfighting is a blood sport in which two dogs are placed in a pit. These fights can carry on from minutes to hours. The fight does not stop until one dog can no longer continue. History from the Coliseum combats of ancient Rome started with dogs fighting against other animals, such as elephants. The “sport” then died out and did not start again until the 17th century in England. These fights typically fought dogs against bears and bulls. Once bears and bulls became too costly and scarce to fight, the sport evolved into fighting dog on dog. This has been a growing epidemic all across the world.

So who gets hurt?

The most common response is the dogs in the pit. Unfortunately, they are not the only victims. The world of dogfighting consequently reflects poorly on the breed as a whole. Nationwide shelters are having enormous issues with the amount of pit bulls that come into their shelters. Out of 600 pit bulls only ONE will find a good home, leaving the other 599 to die. The destruction does not stop there. The reputation of these dogs affects the unconditional, loving family pets and therefore, these pets are inadvertently being judged because of what some ill humans are doing to their breed.

Triumph, a victim of dog fighting in Kansas City. Triumph was rescued by MPR and placed in a good home. His wounds have healed, the scars have disappeared and Triumph now lives the life of a happy family pet. He even shares him home with a companion female dog.

Unfortunately, the affects of dogfighting go beyond the pit. The sport of dogfighting does not discriminate. It crosses all ethnicities, cultures, and socioeconomic backgrounds. And it is not just for adults. Imagine the problems that arise when children who are exposed to this blood sport start becoming desensitized to the abuse. These children grow up and become adults in our society … adults desensitized to abuse.

These environments typically have other activities accompanying the fights. Drugs, weapons, gambling and more are common threads that coincide during dogfights. A single fight can carry a $100,000 purse. Of course, there are still side bets that carry on throughout the fight.

The biggest problem we face is the undeniable fact that world of dog fighting is VERY underground. There is lots of secrecy among the Dogmen. This makes it very difficult to bust. We need your help to spread the word on dogfighting and get as many people involved in the fight against it. We need to save the dogs and humans involved, as our society in general is affected by these actions. If you suspect any form of dogfighting, please report it immediately to the authorities. Also, we need more resources in this area, so please contact your legislators and let them know you want this problem solved.

If you want to know more about the real pit bulls, not the media hype, take a few minutes to check out Missouri Pitbull Rescue. You will see the faces of a breed in a way that will tug at your heart, you will read some of their stories and maybe, just maybe, you might understand!

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