Link bewteen dogfighting and cruelty to humans
 

Author explores link between dogfighting, cruelty to humans

October 10, 2009

BY DONNA VICKROY

"Dogfighting is the ultimate violation of trust," author and ASPCA officer Randall Lockwood said. "Here you have an animal who will do anything to please you - even fight to the death."

That says a lot about the personality of the offender, he said. "Sadism is a common characteristic - they take pleasure in seeing pain inflicted."

Literature linking cruelty to animals and interpersonal violence goes back hundreds of years, Lockwood said, meaning that someone who hurts a dog is likely not averse to hurting a person.

That's why law enforcement groups across the country have recently stepped up measures to crack down on dogfighting.

"It's one-stop shopping for police. Where there are dogfighters, there are usually outstanding warrants, drugs, illegal weapons and evidence of domestic violence."

Though the common perception of a dogfighter is an inner city gangbanger, the profile is not so cut-and-dried, Lockwood said.

The offenders cut across all socioeconomic groups and can be found in every state across the country.

Where there are people, there are dogfighters, he said. There are professionals and celebrities who engage in it. Teachers, coaches, businessmen have been busted for it.

The thrill of the bet, the pursuit of power and the desire to build some street credibility drive the pastime, he said.

A sordid past

The ASPCA, the first humane group in the United States, was founded in 1866. It conducted its first dogfighting raid two years later in New York City.

Back then, Lockwood said, the general consensus was that neither animals nor children had rights and no one much regarded either group's feelings.

Dogfighting was viewed in the same vein as horse racing, as a sport. And many figures of authority, including police and firefighters, engaged in it.

"Hopefully, we're more enlightened now," Lockwood said.

"The reality is that dogs are capable of feeling, caring and hurting," he said.

Not to mention, forgiving.

"That's what's so hard for us. You have an animal that can barely stand because it's so hurt and yet it still greets you with a wagging tail," he said.

"Some of the sweetest dogs I've ever handled have come from dogfighting situations."

Keeping a public lookout

Lockwood said authorities across the country rely heavily on public reporting to bust dogfighting rings. Happily, that is on the rise, he said.

An increase in public awareness, coupled with a stronger commitment from the government to combat the problem is the only way to stop the abuse, he said.

"We're realizing that dogfighting is a police problem, a housing authority problem, a humane problem ... it's a problem for everyone," he said.

The most effective way to combat it, he added, is by putting together local task forces that can investigate on a local level.

In addition to the obvious humane reasons for busting a dogfighting ring early on, Lockwood said, is the disturbing byproduct of such arrests:

The animals.

"There is a lack of resources for caring for these animals after seizure," he said. Many shelters are already overrun with dogs that have been rescued.

"That's why it is so important to learn early on about a suspected ring, before the fighters can accumulate lots of animals," he said.

The Maywood case came about after police received a tip.

"If you see something," Lockwood said, "say something."

RESCUED DOGS

The nine dogs and puppies confiscated Sept. 22 from three dogfighting locations in Maywood are now ready for adoption.

All of the canines were treated at the Animal Welfare League in Chicago Ridge for various injuries, including a chewed-up face, bite marks, a missing eyeball and a broken hind leg.

Linda Estrada, president and director for the shelter, said all of the dogs have made remarkable recoveries.

"Despite what they've been through, all are wagging their tails and happy-go-lucky," she said. "While they are physically scarred, they do not seem mentally scarred from the ordeal."

Probably for the first time, she said, each dog has its own blanket. "They love them. They walk around carrying their blankets in their mouths."

Estrada said the animals are indicative of a new trend in dogfighting circles: the backyard breeder. A couple of the females bear evidence that they have been bred repeatedly.

"People think they can make a quick buck and just breed these animals themselves. They don't understand the complications that can come from trying to do that."

Regardless of the horrors these dogs have witnessed, Estrada said most animals continue to trust humans.

"We do a lot of temperament testing before an animal is adopted out. If it is aggressive to animals or people, it won't go up for adoption."

On the flip side, she added, no animal is adopted out without a staffer conducting a house check on the prospective new owner.

"The last thing we want is to send the animal back into a bad situation," she said.

Can't adopt but want to help? Estrada said the shelter needs "just about everything."

Detergent, dog food, blankets, heating pads. Every donation helps, she said.

"One dollar equals one shot of penicillin. Five dollars equals a vaccine and a deworming."

ASPCA

For more information on the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, visit ASPCA: The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals


Author ties dogfighting, cruelty to humans :: The SouthtownStar :: News

i feel sorry for the dogs :(