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Daniel Roca
23 February 2016
Professor Batty
English 113B
Life of a Fighting Dog
If you were given the opportunity to win some easy money , but in order to receive it you
have to risk your child's life by fighting, would you ? Dogfighting is one of the most
controversial types of sports all of over the world. It is seen by many as something inhumane and
illegal in many places. Many who participate in this so called sport argue that since it is their
dog, its their property, and hence signifies that they can do whatever they want with their dog.
What if I were to tell you that the actual fight in the arena isnt the worst part of a fighting dogs
life, but it as their life growing up and their training and what scarier is how long it's been going
on for . Dog fighting is seen by many as a cruel life for dogs, I believe that the actual dogfighting
is not the worst part of it, but more so the training and life that is not in the arena.
Dog fighting has been around for an extremely long time. It has been able to be traced
back all the way to the time of the Roman Empire, around 43 A.D. This was around the time that
the Roman Empire invaded Britain. During the times of war between each other dogs were
brought as well to fight against other dogs, the Britains dogs were seen by the Romans as more
furiosus and were began to be imported by the romans to their Colosseum and for warfare. This
breed was called the English Mastiffs. As time took its course dog fighting began to evolve.
Dogs were not just used for fighting other dogs anymore, they were put up against new animals,
animals that can be triple their size and weight. People came up with a new way for dogs to help

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as well as a way to entertain them. It was called baiting, which was basically multiple dogs being
released against an animal such as a cow or pig. This was supposed to help not only kill the
animal, but also tenderize the meat as well. Since dog fighting keeps evolving it has also began
to expand more and more and especially in the United States where they do things a little
different.
The United States has dog fighting , but it's not like how the Romans used to use them for
as well as other countries. In the United States it is considered illegal to participate in dog
fighting, since this is such a big deal in the United States organized dog fighters have to figure
out a way to not get caught by authorities. Fortunately they have been caught during the course
of drug busts. The dog fighter have certain tactics in order for them not to get caught by
authorities in Arin Greenwoods article Dog Fighting Is Still A Huge National Problem, But You
Might Be Able To Help in the Huffington Post states The perpetrator's conduct their
activities in rural areas that have limited law enforcement resources to address such cases. The
reason why this is so important is because not only is it harder to find dog fighting in larger land
but, this also results in being able to have more fighting dogs because of how much space they
have access to. As time progressed there has been a separate type of dog fighting that has
branched out of the old fashion organized dog fighting, street fighting. Street fighting differs
from organized dog fighting in the sense that it can happen anywhere usually at night and the
prize is not money, but street credit. This is a very aggravating statement in my opinion because
dogs lives should never be at risk of death and being mistreated in order for someone to earn
glorification from other people. These types of dog owners should have be taken away that
respect for the same reason they are sending their dogs on suicide fights without a choice. Which

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brings me back to my original statement that although dog fighting is horrible, being raised in
such an inhumane way by the owner is worse.
Even Though some might disagree with me with my statement by saying the actual fights
are the worst because that's when they are faced with the life and death situation, I don't believe
it is. Dogs are faced with life and death situations since the day they are born. A testimony of a
puppys life in an article on CNN Fighting dogs now being trained to love by Kim Segal states
The tiny puppy with the white and brown fur was found, the 8-week-old puppy weighed less
than five pounds and had been left in the scorching sun, wearing a chain around his neck that
weighed four times as much as he did. this supports my opinion because we can see from a live
dog how he was mistreated at young age and was put through harsh weather conditions in order
to become stronger. This just one of the many types of way the dogs have been mistreated.
Another example would have to be from Greenwood's article on the Huffington post, If they
have shelter at all, it is usually a 55-gallon chemical barrel with the lid cut off If there is any
food or water at all, it is typically algae and/or maggot infested. There was no escape from this
for the dogs they lived though this until they could not handle it anymore. Puppies who are
considered weak or not worthy fighting are given as bait to the other dogs. Dogs were not only
physically abused, but mentally abused as well. Dogs felt defenseless against their owners and
that caused a lot of trust issues for many dogs in the sense that whenever they saw another
human. In Segals article he states The most dramatic reaction is from a black pit bull mix that
appears to panic at the sight of a person. His ears stand straight up and he cowers in the corner of
his cage as his body trembles. This shows living evidence of how thousands of dogs be feeling
because of this horrible life they are living and how even though they might be up against

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another dog right away the aftermath of all the abuse of the trainer can be much worst than the
fighting itself.
All in all we can see how dogfighting has has change over its lifespan. We can see how
much dogs have gone through all against their will and how much damage it has done for them.
The harsh conditions they have had to endeavor in order them to stay alive, even if they
themselves didnt know what to live for, growing up in such a dangerous and inhumane way.
Whether they are used for war, gambling, or self glorification of oneself, dogs lives should not be
at stake in order for you to win. Even if you think since they didn't die their life has not been
wasted the mental and emotional abuse that has happened to them can be enough to cause more
damage than the actual dog fighting itself.

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Work Cited

Greenwood, Arin. "Dog Fighting Is Still A Huge National Problem, But You Might Be
Able To Help." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 19 June 2014. Web. 16 Feb. 2016.

Macur, Juliet. "Before Signing a Strong Arm, Teams Should Heed Vicks Dark Past." The
New York Times. The New York Times, 05 Jan. 2014. Web. 16 Feb. 2016.

Segal, Kim. "Fighting Dogs Now Being Trained to Love - CNN.com." CNN. Cable News
Network, 15 Sept. 2013. Web. 16 Feb. 2016.

"A History of Dogfighting." NPR. NPR, n.d. Web. 10 May 2016.