A new report commissioned by the League Against Cruel Sports reveals that dog fight happens on the streets in the UK every day.
Although dog fighting has been banned since 1835, it still carries on even today.
The report concentrates on different fighting levels from those happening on streets and parks, organised gang fights usually with gambling involved and then professional breeders with highly trained dogs.
The report highlights the underground world of dog fighting and how little is known about the level of activity in the UK. A pilot project called Project Bloodline, to work in urban areas of Bedfordshire to try and investigate how bad the situation is.
Project Bloodline
The results from just six months of investigation are pretty shocking:
- Cats were being kept as bait for the fighting dogs
- Dogs were beaten repeatedly to toughen them up
- Dead bodies were just dumped on farmland
- One dog had its teeth ground, so it could not fight back
- Young people are using the power breeds as a status symbol
Is it getting worse?
It is difficult to know whether the problem is at the same levels it’s been at for years or if it’s a growing problem. More calls have been coming into the RSPCA, a rise in dog bites, and a rise in stolen dogs being used as bait, all point to the possibility of an increasing problem.
The PUP Plan
They have put together a practical and workable National Dog Fighting Action Plan. The plan comprises many elements and is based on the three areas of Prevention, Understanding and Prosecution (PUP).
Recommendations include:
- Form a national task force led by the government.
- Dog fighting should have a specific offence to be tracked and assessed.
- Legislation and penalties clarified and strengthened for those found guilty.
- A National register for those who are convicted.
- Breed-specific legislation is fundamentally flawed. The Dangerous Dogs Act should be reviewed as a matter of urgency.
- More research should be undertaken into the links between dog fighting and other crimes, including child abuse and domestic violence.
Please support The League Against Cruel Sports and sign the petition to make a difference.
Click here to read the Short Report