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Underworld Of Dogs: Part 1
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THE DARK UNDERWORLD OF DOGS
PART TWO: THE DOG
By Dr. Roberta Lee
If you are to are to have a complete
understanding
of this horrific blood sport
that a very
sick segment of our society is
perpetuating,
then it is necessary to start
with the basics.
It is important to know when,
why, how and
who is in this very dark underworld.
A very
wise man once said, "You
must know your
enemy well, and never underestimate
him,
if you are to win the war."
And please
let me assure you, we are at
war. This sport
is undermining and affecting
every segment
of our society, even if you are
not aware
of the sport itself. I liken
it to a deadly
cancer. It is in the body for
twenty years
growing in the dark cavity of
your existence,
before you ever know that it
exists. And
by the time you discover the
disease, you
have a real war on your hands.
It spreads
it's deadly self through out
your body, affecting
every part of, the very core
of, your being
and life.
That is the way THE DARK UNDERWORLD
OF DOGS
is affecting our society. If
one child is
infected by this sport he will,
and does,
infect other children. If one
drug is sold
at this sport, then it is passed
on to another,
if guns are present and or sold,
it more
than likely, will in some measure,
affect
your well being. And last, but
certainly
not least, it is killing a breed
of dog that
doesn't deserve that sentence.
So my job
here is to educate you, so that
you will
know YOUR enemy.
THE EDUCATION:
There are two breeds of dogs
that are in
danger of becoming extinct. You
may ask just
what concern that is of yours,
and why should
you care. Whenever any breed
of animal becomes
extinct, it jeopardizes all breeds
to one
extent or another. So then it
becomes everyone's
concern. How would you feel if
it were the
breed that you dearly love? It
doesn't matter
why you love the breed, it may
be the temperament,
or just the physical beauty of
the dog. The
fact is that we owe it to every
breed, to
care for it, and to maintain
the strictest
of standards to insure the longevity,
quality
health standards, and purity
of that breed.
The sad truth about these two
particular
breeds is that the reason they
are going
to become extinct is MAN. A saying
that is
often heard is, "Man's inhumanity
to
man," but I believe that
it begins with
man's inhumanity to animals,
and in this
case it goes to the extreme.
The two breeds that I am speaking
about are
the American Staffordshire Terrier
and Staffordshire
Bull Terrier. The two breeds
are closely
linked by ancestry. The American
Staffordshire
Terrier had it's name changed
in 1972 to
avoid confusion with the Staffordshire
Bull
Terrier which is a smaller dog,
however,
they are both called "THE
PIT BULL."
For the legitimate breeder there
is a world
of difference, however, it is
not only the
legitimate breeder that has or
wants a Pit
Bull Terrier. The world of dogs
extends far
beyond the legitimate breeder,
into the far
reaches of the world, to those
that don't
care to know the lineage of the
breed, or
how pure it is, or where the
departure came
between the two. For a large
segment of the
world, what they desire is a
PIT BULL, and
they are not particular as to
the difference.
The American Staffordshire Terrier's
roots
are buried deep in the history
of not only
this country, but several other
countries,
that enjoy the horrible blood
sport of DOG
FIGHTING. This unthinkable sport
dates beyond
the early 1800's in this country,
when breeders
in the field of dog fighting
bred the dogs
for their ferocity, loyalty,
tenaciousness
and stamina. As the sport continued
the breeder
would take the winners of the
fight and breed
, rebreed, and breed again until
they had
the qualities that the professional
in this
sport deemed necessary for a
winner. And
now today, we have the breed
of the FIGHTING
PIT BULL. Although it is technically
still
the Staffordshire Bull Terrier,
no one knows
him as that. He is just the PIT
BULL, the
KILLER.
The Pit Bull is a beautiful dog
that combines
his power with agility and grace
and is aggressively
athletic. When healthy and well
kept, he
has a coat that may be of any
color, is short,
glossy and will require a minimum
of care.
The fighting Pit Bull's ears
will be cropped
and his tail docked. This is
for the obvious
reason of having less for an
opponent to
get a hold of. This breed is
bright, alert
and courageous, and has an abundance
of love
to give, but is being killed
by the hundreds.
Those that are not killed in
the Pit will
be left to die because they did
not win the
fight, or if confiscated, they
will have
to be put to death. They are
to be considered
unfit for a normal life as a
household pet,
due to the training to become
a killer of
ALL other small animals. The
backlash of
this is the inability of the
public at large
to place trust in this breed.
Unfortunately!
WHAT IS DOG FIGHTING?
According to the HUMANE SOCIETY
OF THE UNITED
STATES; "Dogfighting is
a sadistic contest
in which two dogs, specifically
bred and
trained to fight, are placed
in a pit (generally
an area enclosed by plywood walls)
for the
purpose of attacking and mauling
each other
to earn money for their owners
and entertain
spectators. Fights average nearly
an hour
in length and often last more
than two hours.
Dogfights end when one of the
dogs is no
longer able to continue (dead
or near death)
or unwilling to continue."
This information
supplied by Mr. Sakach , Director
of the
Western Division of the Humane
Society of
The United States."
Unfortunately this is not the
only breed
that is used in the dog fighting
venue. Any
of the Bull Terrier breeds, and
the Rottwieler,
Doberman, Neapolitan mastiff,
Akita, Tosa
from Japan, Dogo from Argentina,
France's
Dogue de Bordeaux, the Shar-pei
from China
and many others.
To understand the mentality of
the individual
that would engage in such a damnable
sport,
it is necessary to say that it
crosses all
social classes and ethnic regions.
There
is no one ethnic group more inclined
than
any other towards the cruelty
of this sport.
More than ethnicity, it seems
to be a mind
set that is involved here. And
that we will
discuss later in this series.
How in the world did this sport
get its beginnings
you might ask. It started in
this country
with a sport that was equally
blood thirsty
called "BULLBAITING."
More than a century has gone
into turning
this poor breed into the fighting
machine
that we know today. The Professional
Dogfighting
Breeder has spent considerable
time, effort
and money to work his way to
where the Pit
Bull of the fighting ring is
today. These
are just some of the traits that
the professional
wants, and is willing to sacrifice
at the
dogs expense, to obtain:
Aggression against dogs and other
animals.
Fighting dogs have been so intensely
bred
that when the puppies of a litter
are little
more than ten weeks old, they
must be separated
from the mother and their littermates
because
of the aggressiveness and fighting.
The owner looks for a dog that
is ready,
willing and unyielding in combat.
These genetically-based
characteristics are a must. These
dogs will
have no inhibition, which is
common in most
dogs, towards attacking and killing
ANY small
animal. It is thought that the
reason they
attack small children is that
the dog views
the child as the small animal
that he has
been trained to attack.
If you can imagine it, these
dogs are bred
to fight to total exhaustion,
or death with
little or no provocation. Horrible
you cry!
Get rid of these dogs! Wait just
a moment
now, these dogs are not "DOING
WHAT
COMES NATURALLY." Remember,
that it
is MAN that has bred them to
this end. If
you will think rationally about
this, you
will know that it must be true.
This fighting
instinct flies in the face of
self preservation,
which is present in all animals.
We all know
that dogs were animals of prey,
and that
they would, and some breeds still
do, attack
an animal on the run but normally
they would
not attack a non aggressive or
stationary
target. However, due to the training
and
selective breeding of the Pit
Bull, they
WILL attack non-provocative targets,
and
those that do not flee. Of course,
this is
a direct result of MAN'S intervention.
We know that all dogs are the
descendents
of wolves. That is why our domesticated
dogs
are so social and are very adept
at reading
signals that convey the mood
and intentions
of their companions, and why
dogs are very
willing to communicate their
own intentions.
This is why they have become
man's best friend.
We have become so attuned to
each other.
I know that you have said that
your dog almost
reads your mind. And likewise,
you his, but
in the PIT BULL this trait has
been bred
out of him, for his survival
in the Pit.
If by chance your dog were to
get into a
scuffle with another dog, there
would be
signals that would tell him that
he is definitely
the winner of the fray. The other
dog might
roll over on his stomach showing
his most
vulnerable side, or put his tail
between
his legs while lowering his head,
but in
the Pit,this does the poor dog
that is ready
to quit no good. The lead dog,
or aggressor,
will just wade in and make the
kill while
its human counterparts are yelling
and shouting
encouragement for the kill.
Just as human boxers have different
styles,
so do breeds of dogs. For example,
the German
Shepherd's style is to grab and
hold. Some
of the smaller breeds go for
what they can
reach and they bite and hold.
But the PIT
BULL has been bred to do maximum
damage by
grabbing, holding, shaking, and
tearing all
at the same time. Once a PIT
BULL has a hold,
they do not let go.
Having said all of the above,
it is strange
to tell you that the PIT BULL
is not aggressive
towards human adults. This comes
from the
rule; if a dog in the pit shows
any aggression
towards a handler or referee,
they are disqualified,
and lose the match.
What I have tried to do here
is to give you
an idea of what has been done
to the PIT
BULL in the last century, and
what we will
have to contend with in this
new century.
This dog did not ask to become
a hated member
of the dog world. He did not
decide that
he would become the most feared
dog in the
eyes of the humans that he only
wants to
love. Nevertheless, that is what
has happened
to this and many other breeds
in THE DARK
UNDERWORLD OF DOGS. Man, in his
quest for
money, power, and fame, has taken
an otherwise
wonderful breed of dog, and turned
him into
a feared KILLER.
In Part Three we will cover;
The horrendous training and conditioning
to which the dogs are subjected.
Would you call this care?
It's all for the fight. Contact:
rlwhitedov@ca.rr.com
"In as much as you have
done unto the
least of you, you have done it
unto me."
Matthew (Bible)
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