Why Fight?

Is dog fighting simply another hobby or is it considered animal cruelty? According to US Legal, “dog fighting is an illegal practice in which two dogs, usually of a Pit Bull breed, are put into an enclosed area for the purpose of attacking and quite frequently, killing each other” (2011). The act of fighting dogs is illegal, yet people continue to break the law for profit and for entertainment. People gather together at a covert location, place their bets, and watch as two dogs attack each other, hoping that the one dog they bet on wins. What is more surprising is that often the dogs who lose the fight, yet do not die may be tortured, starved to death, or killed outright by their owners (2007). Why would anyone want to bring their pet to a place where they will get injured or possibly be killed?

Dog fighting itself is crime, but it also promotes other, more serious crime, such as cruelty to animals, violence to others, theft, drug use/possession/distribution, illegal weapons use/possession, and gambling (Dog fighting). This unlawful act is usually supported by or led by criminal groups. On the Anti-Cruelty Society website, they have found that recently convicted dog fighters in Chicago have criminal records that include such significant crimes as assault/battery, arson, weapons charges, burglary, drug charges, and attempted murder (Dog Fighting). These people can be found all over the United States and possibly in your own neighborhood. They keep their dogs in the best shape possible because they want their dog to become a champion fighter.

When it comes to dog fighting, the only people who support this “sport” are those who gain a profit from these dogs and those who enjoy watching animals viciously ripping each other apart. The majority of society views dog fighting in a negative light, partially due to the brutality, especially since it is against the law. The criminals who engage in dog fighting know that what they are doing is against the law, but they go ahead with what they are doing with their animals by letting them fight each other. Overall, with the law in hand, the police can begin to crack down on these dog fighting groups and clean the streets of this illegal activity. 

References:

Dog fighting. The Anti-cruelty Society. Retrieved from:

http://www.anticruelty.org/site/epage/36628_576.htm

Dog fighting law and legal definition. (2011). USLegal. Retrieved from:

http://definitions.uslegal.com/d/dog-fighting/

It's a dog's life. (2007). America, 197(7), 4. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

New York Times. (1996, Feb 18) Dog-fight crackdown reveals animal cruelty. New York Times, 1. 28. Retrieved from LexisNexis.

YouTube Video: Underground dogfighting. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQwmnMgLGts

Animals Then Humans?

When a child is given a pet, he or she is supposed to love, cherish and take care of that animal, but not all children do what is socially considered normal. As defined in Learning to be Cruel?: Exploring the Onset and Frequency of Animal Cruelty, “animal cruelty is socially unacceptable behavior that intentionally causes unnecessary pain, suffering, or distress to and/or death of an animal; exclusive of socially condoned behavior, such as legal hunting and certain agricultural and veterinary practices.” There are different methods of animal cruelty such as drowning, hitting or kicking, shooting, choking, burning, or having sex with an animal. These events happen frequently, but are not always linked to people who have committed criminal and violent acts. Do young adolescent children who torture animals later turn into violent criminal or is there no link at all?

Associations have been made of children that abuse animals who later turn into people who become violent to other humans, but there are many mixed results. To find a correlation between children who torture animals and violent criminals, researchers have analyzed cases of violent criminals and have conducted surveys and interviews of violent inmates that are still in prison. From a study where 112 inmates were given questionnaires, Table 1 explains the frequency and percentage of inmates who committed childhood and/or adolescent animal cruelty and their methods while engaging in these acts. As can be seen in Table 1, more than half of the inmates have shot an animal and almost half have either hit or kicked animals in their youth.

Table 1

Frequencies and Percentages of Inmates Who Committed

Childhood and/or Adolescent Animal Cruelty and

Their Methods While Engaging in These Acts

Method	n	%
Drowned	16	14.3
Hit or kicked	50	44.6
Shot	72	64.3
Choked	24	21.4
Burned	17	15.2
Sexual	16	14.3

Note: n = 112.

Based off of the other results of similar surveys, the results were varied. Some studies found that violent offenders were significantly more likely than non-violent offenders to have committed childhood acts of animal cruelty, especially against family pets (251). Other studies suggested that a persons race and/or childhood environment may determine if they would later become violent criminals. Overall, youth who commit animal cruelty are at a greater risk for later acts of violence against humans.

One of major concurring conclusions that many journals agreed upon was that there needs to be more research on this subject as there is no definite answer as to the question of whether or not adolescent youth who abuse animals will eventually turn into violent criminals. There are factors that may influence children to become who they are in the future, but there is no one factor that determines a child's future actions in life. When the answer is supported by more findings, the cycle of animal cruelty into violence against humans can be prevented in the future.

References:

Hensley, C. and Tallichet, S. E. (2009). Childhood and adolescent animal cruelty methods and their possible link to adult violent crimes. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 24(1). 147-158. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Hensley, C. and Tallichet, S. E. (2005). Learning to be cruel?: exploring the outset and frequency of animal cruelty. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 49(1). 37-47. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Hensley, C., Tallichet, S. E. and Dutkiewicz, E. (2009). Recurrent childhood animal cruelty: is there a relationship to adult recurrent interpersonal violence? Criminal Justice Review, 34(2). 248-257. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Merz-Perez, L., Heide, K.M., and Silverman, I.J. (2001). Childhood cruelty to animals and subsequent violence against humans. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 45, 556-573. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Miller, K.S. And Knutson, J.F. (1997). Reports of severe physical punishment and exposure to animal cruelty by inmates convicted of felonies and by university students. Child Abuse and Neglect, 21, 59-82. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.