Rescue workers have revealed that dog fighting, despite being outlawed nearly 200 years ago, is becoming more common – and everyday people are unaware of the barbarity of the ‘sport’.
Dog fighting sees the pooches trained like champion boxers into killing machines, by people who place bets and watch them tear each other apart.
Prized specimens are said to be worth up to £50,000, but will be left with serious injuries and patched back together with DIY vet kits by their owners, without pain relief or anaesthetic, until they’re ready to fight again.
But the preparation for these barbaric encounters involves much weaker breeds. Sometimes they are tied to trees, have their jaws taped shut or are simply thrown into a room with the fighting dogs.
This is known as dog baiting and, according to the RSPCA, there has been a dramatic surge in the number of dogs being bought as bait.
The animal welfare charity received a total of 1,734 reports of organised dog fighting in England over the last four years (2020-2023).
While the number of reports is worryingly high, those leading to prosecutions are low, as it can be difficult to gather evidence against the secretive and surreptitious gangs who operate in very tight-knit groups.
Karen Taylor, 44, has been an animal rescue worker since she was 19 years old, but she said she has ‘never seen anything like it’ in her life.
Karen, who works with rescue centre Animal Alliance, told the Liverpool Echo: ‘I honestly don’t think the general public are actually aware of how bad it is. I literally cry every morning.
‘Dog-baiting is rife at the moment. People are making a full-time business out of it. They’re sourcing free dogs online and selling them for around £300 for the dog to be ripped to pieces by fighting dogs.’
Karen said many of the dogs being sourced for these disturbing fights are scooped up from trusting owners who believe their dogs are going to a good home.
Karen said she’s heard of instances where people turn up to buy a dog from a seller with their wife and kids, posing as a ‘good family’.
‘Sellers think their dogs are going to a great home – they’re not they’re facing a really gruesome end to their lives,’ she said.
But with dogs and puppies being dumped every day, animal rescues barely have enough resources to accommodate the demand for space.
Karen said: ‘Every rescue is at full capacity; we’re all struggling with space. After the XL Bully ban, dogs were left tied up in parks, starved to death, beaten to death, and even set on fire, we also went out to many dead pups just months and even weeks old, some with duct tape or plastic bags around their heads.’
‘It’s at the point now where people are just abandoning their dogs anywhere. A litter was saved from Freshfield Beach, but they all died.
‘Another litter was thrown out of a car window and dumped on the side of the road. Only one of those puppies survived. People are just dumping them – this is happening every day. Some rescues are having to double up on kennels because of it.’
RSPCA Chief Inspector Ian Briggs, who is head of the Special Operations Unit, said: ‘Dog fighting is a draconian and barbaric blood sport which many people believe society has left behind in history. Sadly though, the reality is that we continue to investigate cases today, involving sophisticated networks of people whose passion is breeding, training, arranging and fighting dogs.
‘We see career criminals getting their kicks from watching dogs rip each other’s throats out and break each other’s legs. It’s shocking and there is absolutely no place for it in society today.
‘We’ve investigated cases in which dogs are forced to fight to the death or are left with catastrophic injuries such as broken legs and deep puncture wounds to their heads and faces.’
The suffering doesn’t end in the fighting pit – the injured dogs are sometimes electrocuted to death or drowned in bathtubs. Dogs who refuse to fight are abandoned, Mr Briggs said.
‘Dog fighting is a dark, secretive sport but it could be happening near you; in a garage or warehouse in the heart of a city, or on a rural farm in a quiet village.
‘We’d urge the public to contact the police or RSPCA if they have any concerns about dog fighting near them. Signs can vary but dogs used in fighting will usually have scars on their face, front legs and hind legs, and they can also have damaged ears and puncture wounds.’
In a bid to raise vital funds to help save more dogs from this gruesome end, members of Animal Alliance are fundraising in a range of ways.
Two female members of the team are shaving their hair, while another two are getting the Animal Alliance’s logo tattooed.
Two others will be walking from Scotland to Manchester, and another will be running a marathon for the cause.
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