Dog Fighting

One of the more popular forms of animal abuse people participate in is dog fighting.  According to the Human Society of the United States (HSUS) about 100,000 people participate in informal dog fights for the chance to win a few buck and bragging rights.  There are also about 40,000 people who participate in organized dog fighting rings with high-stake betting.  Dog fighting is a widespread problem for law enforcement, causing agencies to establish task forces to battle it. 

What to do with the abused dogs

According to the Dog Fighting article written by Nancy Lawson, pit bulls and pit bull mixes comprise up to a third of dogs in animal shelters nationwide.  Most animal welfare groups agree that euthanasia is the safest and most humane route for the dogs bred and raised to fight.  However, the shelters must hold the dogs for months until their owners lose custody of the animal through a court proceeding.  Holding the dogs at animal shelters can become very costly to taxpayers; sometimes costing some counties up to $120,000 a year.  The cost to house dogs seized in dog fights are so high because many shelters need to reinforce their cages that they hold those dogs in.  In a shelter in Dayton, Ohio the dogs were able to pull the cages and the stainless steel doors apart so, they could get to the other dogs and fight.  These dogs would also pull their resting mats and water bowls apart. 

Euthanizing the dogs from dog fighting rings is very sad and heart retching, when you stop and think about the torture they have had to endure.  However, I believe that it is the best way to handle those dogs.  I believe they should be euthanized because, those dogs are raised and train to fight, causing them to be very aggressive in normal everyday situations.