borntoscratch-blog

[borntoscratch-blog]

How do dogfights work?

If you read the first blog post of mine about how dogmen care for their dogs, perhaps you can better understand that dogfighting isn't exactly as it seems. Regardless, I think it is extremely important to preface this post by saying that just as with any industry in the world, there is a dark side and I do not intend to discredit the animals victimized by heinous participants in the sport. Mistreatment of dogs happens in the dark, streetfighting operations - just as cruelty has the potential to exist in every other aspect of the dog world. As such, I am NOT saying that mistreating dogs in the way some people do in this industry is okay. I am attempting to help people understand that there IS a responsible side to this sport and that it is possible to be a humane, compassionate dogman. It should also be noted that this post is not meant to encourage people break the laws. While I disagree that they should have ever been passed, I accept and recognize that they have been. Breaking the law is not okay! Without further adieu, let's delve into some of the big questions people have about dogfighting!

Are the dogs forced to fight?

No! To force an animal to fight would be to have the animal engage in combat against its will. Yet, the very principles of how a dogfight works (all contact at the dog's discretion) makes this idea of force laughable at best.

A dog match begins with two dogs being held in opposite corners. According to Rule 10 of the Cajun Rules (http://sporting-dog.com/select-pages/cajunrules.html), "The referee says, 'Let go', but the handlers must never push or shove their dogs and handlers shall not leave their corners until the dogs are together." This is called scratching and is not forced upon the dog. The handlers let go and the dogs immediately run towards each other.

Some may wonder "What if they hurt the dogs to make them run?" but yet again, this can be disproven. According to Rule 5 of the Cajun Rules, "the referee shall search the person named to wash the dogs and then have him bare his arm to the elbow and wash both dogs in the same warm water and rinse them each in his half of the warm clean water provided for that purpose." Why? To make sure there is nothing toxic in the water that would hurt the dog - or the dog biting him. Rule 6 says, "the referee must search handlers for means of foul play and see that he bares his arms to the elbow before he receives his dog and must keep his arms bare in such a manner during the contest." Simply put, the referee will not allow any foul play to occur that would cause the dog to run because it is being coerced into doing so. This also doesn't make sense, when you consider the principle of gameness.

Gameness is a canine virtue that is essentially the determination to overcome any situation and never back down, regardless of the current state of the body. It was developed in these APBTs by many generations of selective breeding and testing (through these aforementioned matches). This trait is just as innate to the APBT as the border collie's desire to herd and the pointer's desire to point. People often quote that "to deny a dog its nature is to do it great harm" but somehow this quote fails to pertain to the instinctual gameness rooted in a dog's genetics. The idea that these dogs don't want to fight and are forced to is grasping at straws. Watch the following video of a dog in the corner of a pit, up to scratch. Even before he is let go, he is pushing with all of his might to get the other dog! The body language is the same as any other dog when faced with an oulet to fulfill their innate drives. How is this one wrong but the others are accepted?

Some may say it's a matter of "consent" or lack of "comprehension of the consequences." That sure, the dog may want to fight, but they don't understand the repercussions and would no longer want to if they knew what the outcome would be. To this, I bring up the practice of courtesy scratching which is done after a match is over to allow the losing dog to have one more attempt to go at the other dog. This means that AFTER the dog has finished fighting, usually a bit dizzy and battered up, they still have the same desire to go after the other dog. Also, it must be remembered that dogs make negative associations and can easily become traumatized by something. If these dogs "wouldn't want to fight if they knew the repercussions" then why do some of the best game dogs have upwards of five wins? Why do these dogs come home from a long match and still show the same enthusiasm to fight the next time? Just because you wouldn't want to fight for hours in a pit doesn't mean it's cruel or that the dogs wouldn't want to. We recognize certain human individuals have a desire for combat (MMA, UFC), yet dogs that are selectively bred for this same desire are deemed victims of abuse.

How far do fights go? What damage happens to them? Is it to the DEATH?

Since these dogs will fight to the death if they are allowed to, humans have to interfere before that can happen - so no, they are not allowed to fight to the death! According to The Book of the American Pit Bull Terrier by Richard Stratton, "An actual death in the pit is a rarity for several reasons. First, a bulldog, while formidable, is also tough and hard to kill. Second, the rules provide that a dog loses and that match ends whenever a dog wishes to discontinue the contest. Third, dogmen do have a feeling for their dogs and are not going to leave them in to be killed for no reason."

As you can see, measures are taken to prevent death in dogfighting just like they are taken in other dog sports. But what about injuries?

Dogs used in fighting will be picked up before extreme injury. After hours of combat, they may be a bit dehydrated at the end and have a few nice scars to flaunt, but the idea that these dogs skin one another and pull out the other's guts is nothing but lore. In case of accidental extreme injuries, responsible dogmen are equipped with extensive first aid skills. According to California Jack's 2007 Indespensible Tips, the supplies a dogman should have on hand are:

• Lactated Ringers + IV Catheters Fluid Lines, Injection Ports, etc. Purpose: to replace lost fluid.

• Solu-Delta-Cortef (or Solu-Medrol) + Dexamethasone (or Azium) Purpose: Reduces swelling and discomfort.

• Antibiotics Purpose: To prevent infection.

• Salix (Furosemide) Purpose: Prevents kidney problems and aids in urination.

• Banamine Purpose: To relieve pain.

• Leather Shoestring or Equivalent Purpose: to be used with tourniquet to stop bleeding.

• Blood Stop Powder Purpose: To stop bleeding.

• Vitamin K Injectable Purpose: Clots blood and can stop internal bleeding.

• Gauze and Leg Tape Purpose: To secure ringers, splints and braces.

• 2 Full Cotton Rolls Purpose: Setting splints and leg wraps.

• 2 Adjustable Splints Purpose: Secures a broken limb.

• Spray Bottle of Betadine Purpose: Flushes out dirt and prevents toxins.

• Spray Bottle of 1 Quart of water and 25cc of Nolvasan (Chlorhexidine) Purpose: Same as above, but for deep cuts.

• Prepodyne Swabs Purpose: to cleanse the ears.

• Staple Gun (+ Removers) and Cat Gut Sutures Purpose: In emergencies, it can be used to close off serious wounds after they have been cleaned. The shtures can tie off bleeding arteries.

• Betadine Surgical Scrubs or Nolvasan Shampoo Purpose: Will prevent infection during cleansing.

• Scalpal and/or Surgical Razor Purpose: To cut away dead tissue in order to prevent gangreen and infecrion.

• Surgical Scissors Purpose: Same as above.

• Sterile Gloves Purpose: To prevent infection.

• Rectal Thermometer Purpose: To monitor temperature if a dog goes into shock.

• Sterile Vaseline or KY Jelly Purpose: Can aid in temperature taking.

• Super Glue Purpose: Repairing split ears and tails.

• Granulex Spray/Wonder Dust Purpose: Used during healing process to remove necrotic tissue.

• Two clean, dry blankets Purpose: To cover a dog while he is getting fluids and to keep him warm during recovery.

• Two Dozen 3cc Syringes w/ 12 Gauge Needles Purpose: For all needed injections

• Cytomax + Peak Condition Purpose: To provide a dog with life sustaining fluids, electrolytes and nutrients.

• Epinephrine "Epi" Purpose: In emergencies it can revive a dog whose heart shuts down.

Now, some may see this list and say "well, these people wouldn't need these supplies if it wasn't harmful!" Yet, most of these supplies are useful for any pet owner in the situation of a dog with an open wound and are used for basic hygeine and healing. Only a few items are used in extreme emergencies and are there for the rare chance something bad happens, not because it is a regular occurance! A dogman carries splints not because he expects his dog to break a leg, but because he wants to be prepared if worse comes to worst. But anybody reading this should keep in mind that dogmen are there for their dogs during these fights. In fact, in the Cajun rules it says "The dog's owner or his representative shall be allowed at all times to be near his dog and watch to see that no harm is done him," and "The handlers shall be allowed to encourage their dogs by voice or hand-clapping or snapping of fingers."

And, as owners who are there for their dogs, they certainly do not hesitate to pick them up if they are in danger. As John A. Koerner 'California Jack' says, "Assuming that you’re a concerned enthusiast, when your dog is getting overwhelmed, or even if he is winning but the win will cost him his life, his life depends on your judgment. The first step in exercising good judgment is to know when to pick up," and "...if the thought, 'I’d better pick him up,' pops into your mind, there is probably a reason, and that reason is you feel in your bones that he is in danger, and so you need TO ACT on that gut instinct."

Later, he says - in reference to dogmen who don't pick up their dogs at the right time - "instead of tolerating this type of person in our sport, what we should be doing is culling them from it. Therefore, don’t be a player like that, don’t deal with players like that, and make sure you yourself compete with class … and make sure you only deal with players who compete with class like that … and you will take a giant step in making our sport a better one all the way around, especially for our dogs."

If these dogs are well taken care of (see my previous post), have been selectively bred to WANT to fight, are picked up before death/major injuries and receive intense aftercare to prevent infection or worse... then why are people so afraid to accept it?

[borntoscratch-blog]

Do dogfighters love dogs?

I see a lot of uneducated folk speak on dogfighting and try to label dogmen as sadistic, animal-hating people that live to see their dogs suffer. Perhaps this stems from the infamous Michael Vick case in 2007, where evidence of animal abuse (electrocution, drowning, hanging, etc) was found in accompaniment to a dogfighting ring. Surely, anybody who justifies Vick's treatment of animals is delusional, but I digress. Vick is an animal abuser, not a dogman. He is not even close to comparable to names such as Floyd Boudreaux, Howard Heinzl, Maurice Carver or Barney Fife (to name a few).

"Vick and his co-defendants admitted to killing at least six (but perhaps as many as eight) dogs who did not display sufficiently aggressive traits during the “testing” process. Several of those dogs were shot; at least two were were hosed down, then electrocuted. Three dogs were hanged, according to a report by the USDA inspector general, “by placing a nylon cord over a 2 x 4 that was nailed to two trees;” three more dogs were drowned “by putting the dogs’ heads in a 5 gallon bucket of water.” Vick, with his partner, Quanis Phillips, killed yet another dog “by slamming it to the ground several times before it died, breaking the dog’s back or neck.” When another of his dogs was disqualified after jumping out of the ring during a fight, Vick had his associate, Purnell Peace, shoot that dog in the head with a .22 caliber pistol.

Compare these horrendous, unjustifiable details with these, courtesy of http://grch.blogspot.com/2007/02/agree-on-date-with-your-opponent-that.html?m=1

"Your match dog's living quarters should be clean and warm. Do not keep your dog near the other yard dogs. I try to isolate my match dog from any distractions so he can rest quietly after the work out. It is important for the handler to spend as much time as possible with the match dog. Develop a strong handler0match dog bond, which will become significant during a hard match. Take your dog with you on drives into town and watch TV together. You have developed a strong bond with your dog because of all the time you spent together during the keep. This bond will enable you to reassure your dog and control the pace at which your dog fights. Always use the same words of encouragement during the match that you have used during the keep (i.e. good boy! etc.) Encourage your dog in an excited manner only if he has a deep (not a skin hold) hold on his opponent. Otherwise just stay where he can see you and talk in a calm, soothing voice." - Barney Fife

Now tell me, if it is true that dogmen hate their dogs and deserve to "rot in hell" then why do the details surrounding the way they care for their dogs all indicate the POLAR OPPOSITE of how Vick treated his?

Here's another example. People always say "Dogfighters neglect and starve their dogs." This is one of the most misinformed claims ever, because of the abundant resources online that disprove it! We are blessed to live in a day in age where google is filled with DOCUMENTATION OF HOW DOGMEN KEPT THEIR DOGS ("keeps").

Here are some excerpts. You tell me if they neglect or starve their dogs.

"A 45 lb. dog would get approximately 2-3 cups of dry Pro Plan Performance, 2-4 ounces of raw calf's liver, two slices of wheat bread with one tablespoon of corn oil poured on each slice of bread. This is fed once a day after the dog has cooled down from his work out." (Barney Fife Keep)

"Try to use exercise that the dog enjoys and eliminate those that the dog dislikes. Dogs should enjoy their workouts. Never work a dog until he is exhausted. When the dog is tired and gasping for breath, he's had enough work. I like to stop the work out before this point. Give the dog a chance to walk around to cool off and give as much fresh water as he wants to drink." (Barney Fife Keep)

"The first 4 weeks I walk the dog 10 miles per day. I walk him everyday for these 4 weeks and feed one hour after the walk." (James Crenshaw)

"place at least 1/2 gallon clean water where he has access to it. The water should be changed and the container cleaned daily. I read once where someone said the green stuff in water won't hurt the dog.....But you give him one bucket of clean and one green with algae and see which one he drinks from!" (J. Crenshaw)

"Be sure he is in one hundred percent good health and free from all ailments. Give him a good bath, using any strong flea soap, kill all the fleas, as a dog should never be irritated by fleas while in training. See that his nails are clipped short, but not too close. Disinfect his quarters, change his bedding, clean straw being preferred. He should be kept quiet at all times while not being worked on." (Joseph Colby)

I hope my point that everything about these men is not as it seems. They spend all day every day walking, conditioning and caring for their dogs.

Now, I could go into more debunking of myths (like bait dogs, being "forced" to fight, ears being cropped, etc) and OBVIOUSLY someday soon I'll need to talk about what happens in the pit - but I hope my point has been made thus far. I'm going to close this off by attaching these screencaps from a forum discussion.