by Richard "Bugman" Fagerlund
Daily Lobo Columnist
Dogfighting is alive and well in New Mexico.
Most fights are staged in the South Valley and in some of our smaller communities. I have received letters from people in Los Lunas and Belen who have told me dog fighting goes on in their neighborhoods.
Dogs used in this barbaric sport are often seriously injured. Deep puncture wounds and broken bones are commonplace. They often die from blood loss, shock, dehydration, exhaustion, or infection days, or even hours, after a fight.
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Other animals are sacrificed as well. Some dogfighters train their dogs by using smaller animals such as cats, rabbits and small dogs. These animals are often stolen pets or animals obtained through "free to good home" advertisements.
Dogfighting has been flourishing in this country since its foundation. The "sport" of dog fighting has its origins in the Coliseum combats of ancient Rome. Emperor Lucullus was reputedly the first to initiate the practice of pitting dogs against other animals: a group of dogs would be thrown into the Coliseum, doomed to be trampled to death by wild elephants.
The dogfight of today differs little from the fights of the early 20th century. The pre-fight procedures are essentially the same: the dogs are weighed (dogs only within a pound of each other are normally fought) and then washed in soap water to remove any poison or drug that may have been placed on their furs.
The rules followed in the fight are similar: the dogs fight until one quits; after a one-minute rest period, if the dog that quits refuses to fight, he is declared the loser. The results of today's fights are tragically the same as those of 60 years ago: most dogs, following their struggle that may last as long as six hours, eventually die, mortally wounded either by exterior lacerations or internal injuries such as collapsed lungs.
Dog fighting has traditionally involved wagering. Today, betting money of up to $100,000 is involved in dog fighting conventions. In turn, the large sums of gambling money have invited a variety of other unsavory activities and individuals: the theft of dogs, drugs, prostitution, organized criminal activity and even murder have increasingly been tied to dog fighting.
The dogs are washed with warm, soapy water before the fight to make sure they don't have any chemicals in their fur. Chemicals would be "illegal," which is laughable considering that dogfighting is illegal in every state in the union.
They fight in a pit that can be anywhere from 14 to 30 feet, with a "scratch line" drawn in the middle. The handlers take their dogs into the pit and bring them in close first to get each other's scent. Then each dog is dragged to its corner, where its handler releases it and jumps out of the pit.
The fight begins and sometimes a dog is killed outright in as little as 15 minutes, but more often than not fights last for hours. If one of the dogs turns away from the other, the referee will call off the fight for 25 seconds. The offending dog then has 15 seconds after that to cross the scratch line and "mouth" (bite) the other dog. If it fails to do this, or surrenders to its opponent by rolling over and offering its throat or belly, it's lost the fight.
In a few cases, a veterinarian is on hand to help injured dogs. Because this activity is illegal, vets are scarce at these events.
These folks are obviously lawbreakers. Notwithstanding the fact that the "sport" is extremely cruel, it is illegal in every state, including, believe it or not, New Mexico. It is a dangerous, bloody and secretive activity and is a felony in 43 states.
Although dogs are better protected than chickens (cockfighting is a felony in less than half the states), the laws are still spotty. Only 27 states consider it a felony to possess dogs for fighting. A dogfighter must be caught red-handed, in a fight, to be prosecuted.
Like cockfighters, this dogfighting crowd thinks nothing of bringing their children to these "family outings." I have no idea why some people get pleasure in torturing animals and I am not deluding myself into thinking I can change their minds.
Hopefully these so-called sports will die from attrition as the cockfighters and dogfighters and other animal abusers leave this planet.
Richard "Bugman" Fagerlund can be reached at fagerlun@unm.edu.
