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Dogfighting leads to other criminal acts

Date published: 6/15/2009

Dogfighting leads to other criminal acts

For everyone's safety, if the Caroline County man who was charged with housing and training dogs for dogfighting is found guilty, let's hope he receives jail time, counseling, and a ban on contact with animals ["Man faces dogfighting charges," June 2].

Dogfighting is heinous cruelty to animals. Dogs used in fighting rings are typically kept in tiny cages or outdoors on heavy chains 24 hours a day, starved, beaten, and taunted into aggression.

If they lose a fight, they are often shot, drowned, or burned alive.

Dogfighters frequently steal unattended companion animals from yards to use as "bait" to train dogs to attack.

It's vital for communities to take this cruelty seriously and do everything possible to stop it, because animal abusers are cowards who take their issues out on "easy victims"--and they rarely limit themselves to harming other species.

The FBI has found that a history of cruelty to animals regularly appears in its records of serial rapists and murderers.

What's more, animal fighting fast-tracks drugs and weapons into our communities.

Please notify authorities immediately if you see warning signs of dogfighting in your neighborhood.

Martin Mersereau

Norfolk

The writer is director of PETA's Emergency Response Team.

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Date published: 6/15/2009