Three news stories about dog fighting today. I always have a hard time researching and writing posts on dog fighting. I see and hear things in news videos that crush my heart and I have to face just how depraved humans can be. And I know it’s hard to read about. But, I think that those of us who share our lives with animals and care about our communities need to pay attention. We need to educate ourselves and we need to act if we suspect dog fighting is taking place.
All three of these raids are unrelated and resulted in numerous arrests & many dogs rescued. In Chicago, police interrupted a dog fight in progress with more than 50 people attending, including two children—13 and 15 yrs. old. One of the dogs was injured so badly that it’s not expected to live. Those attending will face charges and 3 men who organized the fight are being charged with felony dog fighting.
Tennessee authorities raided a dog fighting ring while fights were being staged. 18 people were arrested. Two people attending the fights were under the age of 15. According to the article, dog fights like this are publicized online as “cookouts”. 27 dogs were seized and all but the puppies had wounds and scars from fights, including one dog missing an eye.
This video shows the equipment used to prepare the dogs for fighting like treadmills and weights.
Investigators in Texas have broken one of the country’s largest dog fighting rings following 17 months of undercover work. 187 dogs were seized in 3 different counties. 8 people have been arrested and 47 indicted. Bets on one fight totaled $80,000 with individual bets of $500-$1000 per fight being common. Drugs, guns, and stolen property were also found. A wide range of people attended these fights, including people in the oil business, people arrested for murder & drug dealing, and a school teacher, Jay Andrews, who also played outfield for the Kansas City Royals and the San Diego Padres.
You can see some some of the dogs being removed from a property in this video. While one is clearly aggressive, many of them seem to be friendly or timid. There is video of the undercover work, but it is horrifying and I won’t link to it.
I’m going to go spend some time with my dog and count ourselves lucky that nothing like this happened to her.