Fighting Man's Best Friend

As a passionate dog lover, and owner of two bully-breed dogs, I have a special interest in dog fighting and have trouble not taking it to heart. If I had to make a snap judgment as to why someone would fight their dog, I would come to the conclusion that they are just worthless pieces of crap. Today, I’m going to try to get down to the bottom of dog fighting and critically think about the reasoning behind this animal abuse dog fighters like to call a sport.

My favorite reason dog fighters say they fight their dog is “because they love the dog so much”. Why someone would starve, beat, exercise to exhaustion something they love so much is beyond my comprehension. Why would you deliberately risk its life by throwing it into a ring to be ripped to shreds? And if the dog you love so much loses the fight, why would you shoot it, hang it, or torture it to death? To say they love the dog is like saying, I love to watch my best friend get the shit beat out of.

First, to understand why people dog fight, I think it’s essential to know about the different types of dog fighting. The ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) uses the same categories law enforcement experts categorize the fighting: street fighting, hobbyist fighting, and professional fighting. Here’s descriptions form ASPCA.com:

• “Street” fighters engage in dog fights that are informal, street corner, back alley and playground activities. Stripped of the rules and formality of the traditional pit fight, these are spontaneous events triggered by insults, turf invasions or the simple taunt, “My dog can kill yours.” Many of these participants lack even a semblance of respect for the animals they fight, forcing them to train while wearing heavy chains to build stamina, and picking street fights in which they could get seriously hurt. Many of the dogs are bred to be a threat not only to other dogs, but to people as well—with tragic consequences.

“Street” fights are frequently associated with gang activities. The fights may be conducted with money, drugs or bragging rights as the primary payoff. There is often no attempt to care for animals injured in the fight and police or animal control officers frequently encounter dead or dying animals in the aftermath of such fights. This activity is very difficult to respond to unless it is reported immediately. “Professional” fighters and “hobbyists” decry the techniques and results of these newcomers to the “blood sport.”

• “Hobbyist” fighters are more organized, with one or more dogs participating in several organized fights a year as a sideline for both “entertainment” and to attempt to supplement income. They pay more attention to care and breeding of the dogs and are more likely to be traveling across state lines for events.

• “Professional” dog fighters often have large numbers of animals (often 50 or more) and earn money from breeding, selling and fighting dogs at a central location and on the road. They often pay particular attention to promoting established winning bloodlines and to long-term conditioning of animals. They regularly dispose of animals that are not successful fighters or breeders using a variety of methods, including shooting and blunt force trauma. Unlike “professional” dog fighters of the past, both “professionals” and “hobbyists” of today may dispose of dogs that are too human-aggressive for the pit by selling them to “street” fighters or others who are simply looking for an aggressive dog—thus contributing to the dog bite problem.

In recent years a fourth category of dog fighters seems to be emerging, with some wealthier individuals from the sports and entertainment worlds allegedly using their financial resources to promote “professional” dog fighting enterprises, which essentially use the philosophy and training techniques usually associated with street fighting. "

All types of dog fighters seem to be after money. None of the types seem to do it for the love of the dog. As said above, street fighters fight for money, drugs or bragging rights. These people probably use their dogs to fight other dogs whose owner they may be in a quarrel with. These owners seem to have no care what-so-ever for their dogs.

Since the hobbyist fighters are more organized, and are using their dog fighting for income purposes, they care for the dogs, only so they can be used for multiple fights. They are more serious about making money and want their dog to be in good shape to win.

Professional fighters are the most serious of all fighters and make big loads of money off fighting. They fight dogs mainly to make money, but also probably for their own entertainment. The professional fighters are most likely people with money, so they maybe care more about the entertainment that goes along with the violence and the fun of gambling from the fight, more than they care about making money.

I think many people are attracted to violence, just think of how popularity of violent movies. I think many people are greedy. I think many people are addicted to gambling. Dog fighting involves all three things. I also think breeders feel a sense of control as they force their dogs to train and fight. This makes me think the sense of control they feel could be replacing insecurities or anxieties/stress they have in their life. Above all else, I think these people are heartless. For whatever reason they are fighting their dog, to make money, for the entertainment, for drugs, for the excitement of gambling, to feel control, it’s all selfish reasons. These people are selfish, cruel, ignorant people that need to die. These people no longer need to burden society. I think they need to be placed in a ring and battle until the death themselves, or just be shot.

Sick Freshman, is it a Coincidence?

After being sick for several weeks last semester and only being well a total of five days this semester, I have to wonder- why can't I stay healthy? I have never gotten sick this much in my life, and it seems other college freshman are in the same boat. My first guess was living in such close quarters increases everyone's chance of getting sick. Everyone breathing on each other and leaving their germs on everything they touch just keeps the spreading of the viruses going. The dorms are like a breading ground for germs. Colds, the flu, the stomach flu, viruses, pink eye, mono, anything contagious, you can be sure to catch it living in the dorm! Even washing my hands as much as possible and using hand santizer constantly did not fend off any viruses for me this year.

My next assumption is that college freshman are not getting enough sleep, which is well known, does not support a healthy immune system. Whether it's from pulling all-nighters, trying to cram two months worth of information into one night before a test, going out and partying or just going to bed too late, it's very rare I or anyone I know is getting a regular, eight hours a night of shut eye. Not getting enough sleep every now and then is not a big deal, but when you continuously deprive your body of sleep on a regular basis, it's going to catch up with you...and usually in the form of SICK.

A well-balanced diet containing vitamins and antioxidants, and plenty of water is recommended to keep a healthy immune system. I don't think many college freshman are eating right because the majority of what I see everyone eating around campus is usually junk, and this could definitely be a leading factor as to why we're getting so sick. Even if everyone were to eat healthy and drink plenty of water, our alcohol consumption may counteract that. Alcohol is naturally dehydrating and isn't good for anyone, especially for people who aren't drinking enough water. Drinking may also be another reason college freshman can't stay healthy.

Stress is also a common-factor linked to getting sick. For many freshman, the transition into college may have not been the easiest. Some of us may have moved far from home to go to school or some may live only a few minutes away, but for everyone getting used to a new school, the dorms, the added workload of homework, and new routine may have been enough to stress us out.

Having tried to avoid all these situations so I can get over being sick and stay healthy, I have failed many times and have ended up at the blood-thirsty Student Health Center, where after hearing you speak about your symptoms for five seconds they immediately insist on drawing your blood. If anyone has not had the pleasure of being treated by the Student Health Center, they should go just so they will have a new motivation to stay healthy!