The Dog Behind the Myth and Headlines – Richard F Stratton #apbt #dogfight

There is no denying that the dog is the one who puts his life on the line, but it isn’t the big risk that the general public believes. Trainers get closer to some dogs than others, but it seems obvious that any trainer worth his salt has to have a feeling for dogs, and as such, he is inclined to become emotionally attached to the animal.
​There was a time that a dog man could ask a veterinarian for advice in regard to his dog with full honesty of what the dog was being trained for. Also, the dog could be taken to the vet after a match—and it was not unheard of to actually have the vet attend. The too-little-remembered S. W. Hubbard used to regularly bring a veterinarian to matches as a paid attendant. I suppose it was with the best of intentions that humane groups lobbied for laws that prevented vets from that type of activity and to even require them to report any dog that they suspected of having been in a staged fight. I wonder if those who pushed that kind of legislation had any idea of how much worse they made things for the dogs. Now, it is incumbent upon pit dog men to learn in great detail how to take care of dogs after a match. To their credit, many have done so, and they have developed impressive skills at caring for dogs that have been through a long and grueling match. I have often seen setups that looked very much like MASH units. Not all dog men learn such advanced veterinary skills, but the responsible ones do—although there was a time when dog men especially skilled in such skills were available at nearly every match. These guys were highly prized, and I have even seen good dog men help an opponent with doctoring his dog after the match. That always struck me as great sportsmanship, as well as showing a regard for a dog other than your own.
​I have often mentioned that I am the bête noire of humaniacs, even though I have written books on other breeds. That situation has developed because I have committed the unpardonable sin of defending pit dog men. Or as they like to call them, “dog fighters.” That sounds worse, and it makes it sound as though the people are forcing the dogs to fight. Anyway, they are pretty unhappy about my defending the indefensible—even if they don’t know anything about what they are condemning! I thought I was mainly telling the truth about the pit dog game, and one reason for that was that the humaniacs had so misrepresented it. They had told stories about how the dogs were forced to fight by using whips and cattle prods on them—as if such a thing would work anyway! They also told about how pit dog men were always on the lookout for “bait animals,” anything from a kitten to a dog.
​I wonder if those humaniacs ever considered that their stories, which got wide play in the media, would actually encourage some of those very things among neophytes who didn’t know any better. My main frustration was that so many lies were being told. I wanted to set the record straight—not that it did much good—and I was willing to defend pit dog men because I so admired the dogs. I knew enough about dogs to know that they wouldn’t be that way without someone at least rolling them to know which were the best ones to breed. So I certainly wasn’t going to denounce the source of the dogs that I valued so much.
​I’m still frustrated by the humaniacs’ failure to make an honest case. I think I could do it. It wouldn’t sound as salacious, but it would stand up to scrutiny. After all, dogs do get hurt, and sometimes they die. It might even be argued that it is immoral to breed the dogs to enjoy fighting contact. It would be difficult for me to build the case, but I could do it and do it honestly.
​It is easy to condemn staged dog fights, and almost everyone who knows nothing about it will most certainly agree with you. Yet, these same people have their own vices, not recognized as such. They love American football, for one thing. I’m guilty, too, as I like it and even played it in high school. I remember with amusement that Bob Costas was asked if the public knew about the damage that was being done to the players by football. He replied, “They know, and they don’t care. They want their football.” These objectors would be quick to say that humans have a choice—but I can assure them that the best of football players lacks the desire of the ordinary Bulldog by a country mile! As someone who has been particularly interested in biology, I have hobnobbed with some fairly famous biologists, and I have been struck by the fact that many of them are quite bitter about the human species because of the damage that has been done to other species.

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