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Dog Fighting:

It’s disgusting. It’s despicable. And sadly, it takes place in this country.  While headlines emerge about the Atlanta Falcons’ star and dog fighting, there is simply no excuse nor any valid reason for it to exist and perpetuate.  For instance, the American Kennel Club, a not-for-profit organization which maintains the largest registry of purebred dogs in the world and oversees the sport of purebred dogs in the United States, supports state laws making any form of participation in organized dog fights a felony.  In addition, the American Kennel Club opposes the so-called sport of dog fighting and in particular the breeding and training of dogs to specifically fight.  It also opposes the training of dogs for uncontrolled aggressive behavior toward other dogs and people.

Dog fighting is actually illegal in fifty states, however in some states it’s considered a more serious crime than others.  In forty-four states it’s considered a felony by people who commit it and they’re severely punished. However, in six other states: Delaware, Iowa, Idaho, Maryland, West Virginia, and Wyoming, it’s only a misdemeanor and therefore, not punished as severely as a felony. For people who live in these six states, the good news is they can write to state legislators to make this horrible senseless act a felony.  More information is found on www.aspca.org.

In addition to dog fighting, animal abuse unfortunately exists on a smaller scale in small towns and large cities.  That said, how can well-informed citizens have the ability to make an impact on a healthy pet society? How can innocent bystanders not let animal cruelty continue such as animal abuse? Well, although we can’t unfortunately control situations such as the abovementioned situation in the news, we can indeed be vigilant.  We can observe.  And most importantly, we can report.

According to the ASPCA it’s actually quite simple to report animal cruelty once you’ve witnessed it. According to the website, www.aspca.org, the first step is discovering the name of people in one’s area who’s responsible for investigating and enforcing anti-cruelty codes.  Most likely these people work for a local humane organization, animal control agency, animal shelter, or police precinct.

The next step in fighting animal cruelty is providing the specific facts.  The factual statement will include exactly what you observed such as dates and times and all the who, what, where and when’s.  Sad as it may sound if you can possibly take a photo of the act as you see it happening such as via a cell phone, this may be able to further provide evidence, as will getting witnesses who are also on the scene.

The next step in being active in fighting animal cruelty entails keeping a careful record.  This means you’re not done, rather you should keep a log of who you spoke with, the date, and the outcome of the discussion.  Always keep your records and as you speak with the appropriate agent it’s important to let them know you want this case pursued and that you’re available to lend assistance. That said, it’s important to follow up to ensure action takes place.