Dog fighting the norm in the south

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Little difference between that and sticking pins in the eyes of family pets IMO. Contrary to what the Fox Hunting community said in defence of their upper class pleasure pursuit, their little country jaunts didn't do much to reduce the fox population.

Well, it isn't an upper class sport in the US. In the UK (where it is now banned), the foxhounds would tear the fox into little pieces by the time the hunters caught up with the pack. It isn't quite the same in the states.

In the US, it is more common for dogs to tree game, at which point they start barking. The hunters catch up, and then shoot it.

total agreement..but, fox hunting in rural america is done with a drunk group of buddies...a call (dying rabbit, sounds like a woman getting raped) and all hiding waiitng for the fox to come an investigate and then blasting him to hell...

see, raccoon hunting...where they let the dog tree him and them all shoot him.///

It is unlikely that any of us would be here today if our ancestors were not such good hunters. With the help of dogs, humans are incredibly good hunters.

True - but really only applicable when the goal of that hunting was for food, not for pleasure.

One of Diana's sons got himself involved in one of these things a few years ago - as some sort of right of passage. Had the blood smeared on his face. Have to say that's beyond the experience of most reasonable people.

[sara535 15]

I personally know 4 people that have been the victims of dog bites, bad enough to leave scars. 3 were dachsunds and one was a lab. All the pit bulls I have known were fantastic dogs. Any dog can be dangerous in the wrong setting and wrong handling, even wrong irresponsible breeding.

and, in my opinion, I have a problem with the idea of finding it sporting or entertaining to watch or participate in animal pain, death, and destruction. Be it bullfighting, dogfighting, hunting for sport or trophy, whatever. Dogfighting in particular is disturbing because dogs really ARE mans best friend and these are animals that can and are used to help us as human beings in a wide variety of ways every day, including seeing eye, drug and bomb sniffing, medical companions, etc etc. Not to mention the millions of dogs all over the world that are loved and valued as 'family members'. What a way to treat a best friend and help mate.

[mawilson 2,133]

Also, if the dogs were trained to kill, you pretty much have to put them down. You don't

want them running around and killing innocent civilians.

thats what sounds barbaric, to imagine someone drowning to death or electrocuting an almost dying dog, it's plain barbaric..

um, they weren't dying, they just didn't PERFORM well.

Trust me, if they didn't perform well, they were dying by the end of the fight.

[no name 1]

Also, if the dogs were trained to kill, you pretty much have to put them down. You don't

want them running around and killing innocent civilians.

thats what sounds barbaric, to imagine someone drowning to death or electrocuting an almost dying dog, it's plain barbaric..

um, they weren't dying, they just didn't PERFORM well.

Trust me, if they didn't perform well, they were dying by the end of the fight.

are you a dog fightnt expert now?

[pedroh 21]

but again, why people don't make a big fuss of cockfighting, or bullfighting.. i guess it's also cultural, vicks had the bad luck of being in a country where people sometimes love dogs more than other human beings.. but i dont see PETA rallying around because they had cockfights, or a bullfighting show wants to go to a rodeo or something

[no name 1]

Facts about why they were killed:

John Goodwin of the Humane Society said the manner in which losing or unwilling dogs were killed was especially troubling.

"Some of the grisly details in these filings shocked even me, and I'm a person who faces this stuff every day," he said. "I was surprised to see that they were killing dogs by hanging them and one dog was killed by slamming it to the ground. Those are extremely violent methods of execution -- they're unnecessary and just sick."

Vick and the others are accused of "knowingly sponsoring and exhibiting an animal fighting venture" and conducting a business enterprise involving gambling, as well as buying, transporting and receiving dogs for the purposes of an animal fighting venture.

About eight young dogs were put to death at the Surry County home after they were found not ready to fight in April 2007, the indictment said. They were killed "by hanging, drowning and/or slamming at least one dog's body to the ground."

The indictment also outlined a rough chronology:

• In March 2003, after a pit bull from Bad Newz Kennels lost in a fight, it said Peace consulted with Vick about the losing dog's condition, then executed it by wetting it with water and electrocuting it;

• In March 2003, after two Bad Newz Kennels dog lost fights to dogs owned by a cooperating witness, it alleged that Vick retrieved a bag containing $23,000 and gave it to the owner of the winning dogs. One of the fights had a $20,000 purse;

• In the fall of 2003, a person witnessing a dog fight involving one of the dogs trained by Bad Newz Kennels incurred the ire of another cooperating witness by yelling out Vick's name in front of the crowd during the fight.

It also said that after establishing Bad Newz Kennels in early 2002, Vick and the others obtained shirts and headbands promoting their affiliation with the kennel.

After a police raid on the property in April, Vick said he was rarely at the house, had no idea it may have been used in a criminal enterprise. He blamed family members for taking advantage of his generosity.

On Vick's Web site, he lists his birthplace as Newport News, "a.k.a. BadNews."

Purses for the fights ranged from hundreds of dollars to the thousands, and participants and spectators placed side bets, the document said.

Local authorities have been investigating the allegations since the April 25 drug raid at the property Vick owned. On June 7, officials with the Department of Agriculture executed their own search warrant and found the remains of seven dogs.

Surry County prosecutor Gerald G. Poindexter said he didn't know of the indictment before it was filed, and said he's not sure how the county will continue its case.

At the start, authorities seized 66 dogs, including 55 pit bulls, and equipment commonly used in dogfighting. About half the dogs were tethered to car axles with heavy chains that allowed the dogs to get close to each other, but not to have contact -- an arrangement typical for fighting dogs, according to the search warrant affidavit.

The indictment said dogfights were held at the Virginia property and dog owners brought animals from six states, including New York and Texas.

In a search warrant executed July 6, the government said the fights usually occurred late at night or in the early morning and would last several hours.

Before fights, participating dogs of the same sex would be weighed and bathed, according to the filings. Opposing dogs would be washed to remove any poison or narcotic placed on the dog's coat that could affect the other dog's performance.

Sometimes, dogs weren't fed to "make it more hungry for the other dog," it said.

source

Edited September 5, 2007 by devilette

[mawilson 2,133]

but again, why people don't make a big fuss of cockfighting, or bullfighting.. i guess it's also cultural, vicks had the bad luck of being in a country where people sometimes love dogs more than other human beings.. but i dont see PETA rallying around because they had cockfights, or a bullfighting show wants to go to a rodeo or something

People are strange creatures, Pedroh.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

but again, why people don't make a big fuss of cockfighting, or bullfighting.. i guess it's also cultural, vicks had the bad luck of being in a country where people sometimes love dogs more than other human beings.. but i dont see PETA rallying around because they had cockfights, or a bullfighting show wants to go to a rodeo or something

They should. I'm not much of a fan of bullfighting, and there are people who object to that - but given its cultural prestige, the torture of an animal becomes somehow justified. I'm all for keeping customs and traditions, but given that we no longer stage gladiatoral games in the roman style that should surely say something...

[pedroh 21]

but again, why people don't make a big fuss of cockfighting, or bullfighting.. i guess it's also cultural, vicks had the bad luck of being in a country where people sometimes love dogs more than other human beings.. but i dont see PETA rallying around because they had cockfights, or a bullfighting show wants to go to a rodeo or something

They should. I'm not much of a fan of bullfighting, and there are people who object to that - but given its cultural prestige, the torture of an animal becomes somehow justified. I'm all for keeping customs and traditions, but given that we no longer stage gladiatoral games in the roman style that should surely say something...

lol i dont mind bullfighting, sometimes like it actually, but, what the bulls endure, its gruesome torture, they're exhausted and bleed to death.. i guess sometimes worse than the dogfight, cuz actually the bull has to prove its bravery, even if it has 6 daggers on his back and its bleeding

[mawilson 2,133]

They should. I'm not much of a fan of bullfighting, and there are people who object to that - but given its cultural prestige, the torture of an animal becomes somehow justified. I'm all for keeping customs and traditions, but given that we no longer stage gladiatoral games in the roman style that should surely say something...

Who needs gladiators when we have WWE. There's nothing like busting someone's head open with a chair.

[no name 1]

but again, why people don't make a big fuss of cockfighting, or bullfighting.. i guess it's also cultural, vicks had the bad luck of being in a country where people sometimes love dogs more than other human beings.. but i dont see PETA rallying around because they had cockfights, or a bullfighting show wants to go to a rodeo or something

When was the last cockfight you heard about? It is illegal in 47 states, BTW. Are you forgetting what the letters ASPCA stand for???

http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagen...ty_cockfighting

http://www.upc-online.org/summer99/anti-cockfight_updt.html

http://www.awionline.org/farm/cockfigh.htm

http://speakout.com/activism/apstories/10005-1.html

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

They should. I'm not much of a fan of bullfighting, and there are people who object to that - but given its cultural prestige, the torture of an animal becomes somehow justified. I'm all for keeping customs and traditions, but given that we no longer stage gladiatoral games in the roman style that should surely say something...

Who needs gladiators when we have WWE. There's nothing like busting someone's head open with a chair.

Except that some people didn't buy it - and so you end up with UFC.

[pedroh 21]

but again, why people don't make a big fuss of cockfighting, or bullfighting.. i guess it's also cultural, vicks had the bad luck of being in a country where people sometimes love dogs more than other human beings.. but i dont see PETA rallying around because they had cockfights, or a bullfighting show wants to go to a rodeo or something

When was the last cockfight you heard about? It is illegal in 47 states, BTW. Are you forgetting what the letters ASPCA stand for???

http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagen...ty_cockfighting

http://www.upc-online.org/summer99/anti-cockfight_updt.html

<a href="http://www.awionline.org/farm/cockfigh.htm"'>http://www.awionline.org/farm/cockfigh.htm" target="_blank">http://www.awionline.org/farm/cockfigh.htm

</a>

http://speakout.com/activism/apstories/10005-1.html

it's illegal i know, but i've never seen a major movilization like with michael vicks, for dogs.. probably there hasn't been a celebrity engaged in cockfighting.. but i wouldn't think they'd made such a big fuss.. and.. personally, I like cockfighting, i think it's entertaining..

[Ban Hammer 13,340]

but again, why people don't make a big fuss of cockfighting, or bullfighting.. i guess it's also cultural, vicks had the bad luck of being in a country where people sometimes love dogs more than other human beings.. but i dont see PETA rallying around because they had cockfights, or a bullfighting show wants to go to a rodeo or something

just for the record, i don't think much of those either.

and the cultural arguement was tried in regards to stoning a woman to death for adultry btw.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

but again, why people don't make a big fuss of cockfighting, or bullfighting.. i guess it's also cultural, vicks had the bad luck of being in a country where people sometimes love dogs more than other human beings.. but i dont see PETA rallying around because they had cockfights, or a bullfighting show wants to go to a rodeo or something

just for the record, i don't think much of those either.

and the cultural arguement was tried in regards to stoning a woman to death for adultry btw.

Excellent point, Charles.