How Many Pit Bulls are Used for Fighting

You may have heard that some types of dogs, especially pit bulls are used for fighting. You may wonder how many pit bulls are used for fighting. We have searched the information about it and here is what we have found.

The Number of Pitbulls for Fighting

We tried to search for information about how many pitbulls are used for fighting. However, we could not find the information about it. However, according to a petition on Change.org, there are 16,000 dogs that die each year because of the dog fighting. It means that there are so many dogs which are used for fighting. Usually, people who make the dogs fight will train the dogs to kill and then they make them fight with other dogs until one of them dies. Those people bet on the dogs because for them this is an entertaining blood sport. However, this is an animal cruelty and it must be stopped. Same as humans, animals also have rights to live well, to eat, and do many other activities that they want.

The Reasons Why Pitbulls Used For Fighting

There are some reasons why pitbulls are used for fighting. Do you want to know? Here are the explanation for you.

• Pitbulls are used for fighting because they are very loyal to their owners.
• There is big money which is bet. Since this sport is cruel to animals, of course this sport is illegal. However, for people who are looking for profit, they do not want to think about it. For professional fighters, a lot of money can be made from this sport. Let's take an example. There is a man who had collected a $10,000 gambling profit every day for 90 days, almost $1 million. Champion dogs will often be put out to stud and command stud fees of up to $5,000.
• They have detailed records which are kept. Usually, if those people have a champion pitbulls, they will have the detailed records including the dog's pedigree, who they fought and when, what their record is and also their weight class. By having this record, they will show that their dogs are ready to fight.

Three Types of Dog Fighters

There are three types of dog fighters according to Mlive. Those are professional, amateurs and street-level fighters. What are the differences among those fighters? Let's find out in the explanation below.

• We can say that professional fighting operations are the most sophisticated. There, they are provided with weigh-ins, fight records and big cash which is bet. The dogs are not aggressive to people. In this professional fight, there is a referee in the ring. If the dog is aggressive to the referee, the dog will be disqualified.
• How about amateur fighters? They are often looking for professional status and may work as an assistant or 'yard boy' for pro fighters so that they can level up their ranks.
• For street level fighters, they are usually more impromptu. When a man is walking on the streets with his dog and then they meet another man with his dog as well, and then they start to talk. On the spot, they may challenge a dog fight and then put some money to bet. The fight may happen under a bridge or in an abandoned house where it will not be held in an established fighting ring.

Laws About Dogfighting

According to ASPCA, as of 2008, dogfighting is a big crime in all 50 states and in the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. In most states, if people have dogs with the aim for fighting, it is also a felony offense. Even if we just become an audience at a dogfight, it is also an illegal action in all states. In every state, laws and penalties vary.

On the federal side, in the Animal Welfare Act of 1966, there is a prohibition to certain animal fighting-related activities if they have involved more than one state or interstate mail services, including the US Postal Service.

Congress released the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act in 2007 with strong bipartisan support. The Animal Welfare Act was amended by the Act. Also, the Act gives felony penalties for interstate commerce, import and export relating to commerce in dogs abused for profit, roosters which are forced to fight and cockfighting paraphernalia. If someone does one of them, she or he will be in jail up to three years and a $250,000 fine.

In 2014, the essential elements of the Animal Fighting Spectator Prohibition Act were signed into law as part of the Farm Bill. In this provision, people who attend an animal fight anywhere in the US is a federal offense. And if they bring a child under 16 to an animal fight, they will be imposed additional penalties.

You may wonder something. As we explained earlier, there are a lot of dogs who die because of fighting. So, if the dogfighting is widespread, why are not more cases revealed? It is because dogfighting is a violent and very secretive enterprise which is very difficult for law enforcement to investigate by professionals. To investigate dogfight, it requires a lot of the same skills and resources as investigating narcotics and it challenges the resources of any agency that tries to respond to it. Besides, there is also another complication where the evidence including the dogs which are living creatures which must be taken care of and maintained will be seized in a raid when the judicial process is held. Usually, every dogfighting will be taken on happily by prosecutors, but they are limited by the human and animal care resources which are available to them.

Are there any things that we can do? If you see that there are dogfights in your neighborhood, one of the things that you are able to do is to report it to the local agency. Then, you are also able to follow it up to report it to an organization which cares about animal cruelty.