# GENERAL FORUM > IN THE NEWS >  Rise in UK underground Dog Fighting

## Flagg

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8534263.stm

Not sure if anyone outside of the UK will be able to see the video, but it has a vet examining some of these dogs that are in his clinic. He states that many of the dogs will have to be destroyed from either being too aggresive or their wounds/fitness being too severe. 

Pitbulls are banned in the UK as of 1991, but underground clubs are breeding them with Staffies and a lot of gangs are using these dogs as "status" weapons to intimidate on the street. 

These poor dogs. It pisses me off, the scum that use them in this way, which does nothing but tarnish the reputation. I sometimes wonder if these breeds of dog actually have a future.

----------


## MuscleScience

Underground Dog fighting (pitbulls) is pretty common where I am from. So towns even require a large insurance policy to be taken out on any owner that has pitbulls in case they escape and attack someone. Once or twice a year a dog/s escape and attack someone in. Poor dogs,

----------


## Flagg

> Underground Dog fighting (pitbulls) is pretty common where I am from. So towns even require a large insurance policy to be taken out on any owner that has pitbulls in case they escape and attack someone. Once or twice a year a dog/s escape and attack someone in. Poor dogs,



It's a terrible state of affairs. I feel sorry for the dogs because its all they've ever known and don't know any different. And if a fighting dog attacks a person, it's not pretty, infact those kinds of dogs can kill people. 

Im guessing compensation for dog attacks must be pretty high?

----------


## MuscleScience

> It's a terrible state of affairs. I feel sorry for the dogs because its all they've ever known and don't know any different. And if a fighting dog attacks a person, it's not pretty, infact those kinds of dogs can kill people. 
> 
> Im guessing compensation for dog attacks must be pretty high?


Some towns have a policy that if one owns a pit bull they are required by law to take out a 250,000 dollar insurance policy in the event of attack. Which really only hurts those that legally have the dogs. People who fight pit bulls do not register their dogs.

----------


## BgMc31

I own a Pit/American Bulldog cross. Here in Nevada they must be registered. I actually rescued him from fighting. He was beat to shit when I got him. Now he's a 110lbs of LOVE!!! LOL!!

Dog fighting is quite common around the world. It's wrong no matter how you look at it, but that's simply my opinion. Most non-western countries that are engaged in dog fighting look at dogs like livestock rather than pets. Not justifying dog fighting, just stating the opposing arguments point of view.

----------


## PitMaster

These guys must be pretty damn mean to their own dogs to where the dogs are going to bite people. I have a been a pit owner for 16 years plus. I now have 5...they are the best around kids. They are aggresive towards other dogs of the same gender...a dominant thing. When I moved to a new town, it wasn't a month later that the sheriff found out I had pits, he said if they ever get loose they will be shot on site...bs. I won't give them the chance, and there are stray dogs(not pits) walking the streets here. Such bs. I would like to put down bad dog owners. I wouldn't shed a tear or hesitate...scum.

----------


## Twist

1. this is an old thread
2. pits are not "the best around kids" I would be willing to bet that they are in the top 3 most dangerous dogs to have around kids...

----------


## PitMaster

> 1.* this is an old thread*2. pits are not "the best around kids" I would be *willing to bet* that they are in the top 3 most dangerous dogs to have around kids...


yeah i realized it was old thread after I posted....and I'm willing to bet your not a pit owner. Pits are like any other dog, just that they are an athletic breed and strong. Other breeds I have been across (with experience) bite more frequently and bad with kids...you are making a judgement not on personal exp. and it's owners that give pets bad names...

Over 16 years exp. with pits around kids to know the difference and you research some info about the APBT and children. Problem is u only hear about the bites or attacks. I can dig up some stats if u want.

----------


## Twist

I never hear about a Pomeranian mauling their owner and neighbors... I would never have one around my child. It's not what they are most likely to do, it's what they are capable of doing if they decided to. I just wanted to point out that they are not the "best" and closer to the worst. That being said I absolutely love English Bulldogs and had one growing up and agree completely that it's how they are raised. The problem is that sometimes dogs go nuts and if they can tear you to shreds in a second then there's a big risk, especially around children.

----------


## Eschaton88

I agree with pitmaster, breeds of dogs should never be judged just because they are potentially stronger or more athletic. They are not a risk if they have been brought up properly, that's what it all boils down to, the owner.

Bad owners should be the ones put down, not the dogs.

----------


## Nooomoto

There are good and bad examples of every breed. In 2007, Daschunds bit more people than any other dog in the United States...
http://fortheloveofthedogblog.com/ne...ds-dachshund-1

...yet I never hear any out cry to ban Daschunds or other small breeds that are allowed to run wild, and uncontrolled by their owners. The flawed logic here being "oh it's so small, it can't do any harm", keep in mind Daschunds were bred for hunting, and are more than capable of mauling a baby.

I find it a sad and very slippery slope when legislators waste their time targeting a certain type of dog simply because we as a society lack the testicular fortitude to heavily prosecute those PEOPLE who would create the conditions under which dog attacks can happen. As is always the case, criminals DO NOT CARE about laws, thus the laws will only punish those who abide by them. All of this in combination with the severe lack of education and uninformed opinions on the matter, and you have a scary situation.

I actually had someone call Animal Control on me saying I had a Pit Bull (they are illegal in Miami-Dade County, and infact I have a Bull Terrier, different breed)...this person probably thought they were doing something great, unfortunately they are so blinded by their ignorance and the media hysteria over APBTs that they failed to understand that they don't actually know what an American Pit Bull Terrier looks like. If you have problems distinguishing a Bull Terrier from an APBT, then why the **** are you calling Animal Control acting like you know something? When Animal Control came to my house and asked to see my dog, they said "Nice looking dog", and left. EVERY time I take my dog out, someone will stop and ask if it's a Pit Bull with a look of terror on their face...you obviously don't know what a Pit Bull looks like. Now I simply respond, "No, it's a lion"

I've never met a mean Pit Bull, however I have seen my dog attacked by a number of other dogs. He was once attacked by a schnauzer, luckily my dog isn't a vagina and quickly handled the situation on his own, I ran across the dog park to intervene before he got a chance to kill the schnauzer. The woman was crying and apologizing to me as she carried her shredded dog out of the park. When you go to dog parks, you can clearly see a difference in the way people with large dogs and people with small dogs handle their animals. Most people with large dogs understand the dynamics of how dogs interact and can sense things before they happen, they also usually know how to appropriately handle a dog fight. I often find that people with small dogs exhibit zero ability to control their animals and respond to bad situations with screaming and shrieking...yet Pit Bulls are bad dogs. 

The first dog awarded medals by the US Military was a Pit Bull named "Sgt. Stubby", he was wonded twice in combat and captured a German spy which led to intelligence that prevented a gas attack on American troops. 

Dogs have been bred through and through to obey people and view people as something necessary for survival. Dogs that attack humans do so as a result of abuse or neglect, or both. Targeting a breed is a coward's way of handling a problem that seems to messy and politically unsavory to tackle in a way that would get real results.

----------

