I always grew up around dogs. Massachusetts
Although people stereotype Pit Bulls, others create emphasis on this through dog fights. People fight dogs and breed them for money. Mostly the Pit Bull breed is being triggered into dog fights. How would you like it if you were a helpless Pit Bull that had to fight to live? These innocent dogs are being controlled and abused for the greediness of careless people. Owners convicted of dog fights should NOT be eligible to own another dog due to abuse, murder, and neglect.
Dog fighters do not think about the abuse they are abusing to innocent dogs. According to Chandra R. Thomas, author of “Humane Society to Urban Youth: Say No to Dog fighting”, youth in urban or street areas do not get the love and attention that they need, so they take it out on their animals. They do this to get attention, but they are not aware of the disadvantages of putting their dog in a dog fight. “I used to think it was exciting, but then I lost my dog. It really hit me how serious this is” (DeAndre Weaver). People gamble on their dog to win a brutal fight. Not caring about the pain or precious life of these dogs, they train them to fight for the right to live. While watching “Animal Cops: Houston ” this issue really spoke out to me. During one episode, the cops went to a house, and the backyard of the house was a training arena for the dogs. All around the yard there were dogs chained up to trees. In one corner closed off was the setting to fight. They risk their strongest and meanest dog to fight other dogs they have never seen in their life. These people do not create a bond with these dogs. They use them for their own good. Money is all that is on their mind. Sports Illustrated stated that Michael Vick (former Falcons quarterback) admitted helping to kill six to eight pit bulls and supplying money for gambling on the fights. This is exactly what a dog fight is and explains the result of it well.
Many people do not think fighting dogs is an issue. When looking up the different organizations against dog fighting and understanding why they came to be, I realized how much more serious this issue really is. Chandra R. Thomas (Humane Society to Urban Youth: Say No to Dog Fighting) claims that 250,000 dogs are abused, killed, and tortured in both street dogfights and organized dogfights, mostly in rural areas. While, first reading this line in her document I read 25,000. After looking back through this article, I realized that the number was 250,000. That is hundreds of thousands more of innocent dogs that have done nothing but live life. If these dogs could speak their mind and tell how they are feeling, maybe the owner would think twice about what they do. Just the fact that these owners have no fear of these vicious dogs they created shows the kind of person they really are. Why do people own these dogs if they do not love them? DeAndre Weaver states in the article, “Humane Society to Urban Youth: Say No to Dog Fighting”, that if you love your dog, you would not want to hurt them. I agree with him one hundred percent. Also, if you do not love your dog; why not give it away to someone who will care and love for them? DeAndre now watches over his neighborhood with his two Pit Bulls persuading people to avoid dog fighting and try to prevent the same mistake he went through. He also is apart of many anti-dog fighting programs and charities to help people understand that pit bulls are loyal companions and not a weapon for money. This, I believe, is becoming more effective because if children know about it and are aware of dog fighting at a young age they can prevent it if they see it. Also, if the kids ever think about it for any reason they would know about the consequences of dog fighting and how it impacts their life.
Dog fighting is considered murder, abuse, and neglect. If people do not care about these dogs and their feelings; they should not be able to own them. As these animals are being used, the “owner” is being rewarded. This needs to stop and the blameless dogs deserve a happy unaggressive life. Owners convicted of dog fights should NOT be eligible to own another dog due to abuse, murder, and neglect.
