Dark Sport of Dog Fighting

Picture this with me for a moment: A young American Pit Bull Terrier's battered, lifeless body floating in a river. The poor animal's body is covered with bite wounds; its fur stained with blood; an electric cord wrapped several times around the young dog's neck.

This was the scene in a small Midwestern town in August. The Pit Bull was found by children playing in the area. Officials weren't surprised to discover the animal's body. It wasn't completely unusual to find dead Pit Bulls scattered throughout the area. However, this comes at a time when dog fighting is under deep scrutiny. Police officials in the state said that dog fighting was unfortunate, but hard to stop. Dog fighting is big business. Most rings seem to stay just one step ahead of police.

I looked at Rocky as he kept himself busy wagging his tail and licking the cats. How can people do this to these poor creatures, I thought. Watching my ten-month old puppy, not much younger than most dogs used for fighting, I said a silent prayer for those battered animals.