The Sad Reality of Being Born Pit Bull

Amos, The True Victim of Dogfighting

After twenty nine years of owning and loving Pit Bulls, I find that I have become a little complacent when I hear stories about their plight. In all these years I have seen the best and the worst of human beings. When I hear the horror stories now, I tend to file them in the mental "Seen That" file. That is why when I was contacted about Jed and Amos it did not hold a great deal of surprise for me. That is, until I saw the pictures.

Jed and Amos are not in the same elite group that the Michael Vick dogs fell into. The celebrity surrounding those dogs is the only reason the nation stood up and took notice of the brutality of their circumstances. No, Jed and Amos were backyard bred, with no regard for breed standard. They were born to be fought almost daily until there was nothing left of them. At the ripe old age of two years, they were already approaching the end of their days. They had never seen a veterinarian, had never enjoyed a quality diet and the only human contact they received was when they were being taken to and from the pit. When they heard praise from their owners it was because they won the fight for their lives, again.

Despite the life these two dogs were born into, they were fortunately born male. If they had been born female, not only would they have been expected to fight for their lives, they would have had to produce puppies through every heat cycle. The bottom line for these dogs is a life span averaging three years, that is a daily fight for survival, literally.

What are these criminals getting from this? They have barter for drugs. They have pocket change that allows them to make a stop at the liquor store. They can go another day or two without worrying about where they will get the things that enhance their lifestyle, like a couple of dollars for gas and cigarettes. This is all while not worrying about any consequence for their actions. After all, these are only Pit Bulls. The laws target the dogs, not the criminals.

I have submitted several stories regarding towns that have enacted breed bans and restrictions. There are many problems with legislation of this type that goes beyond the simple fact that is does not work. The biggest problem is the fact that the true criminal is being allowed to continue the criminal activity. Our streets and neighborhoods are not any safer. Our children are being taught that abusing and torturing dogs is acceptable. After all, if it was wrong would not the laws be targeting the person inflicting the abuse, instead of the dog that is being subjected to the torture?

For Jed and Amos the battle is over. They have been confiscated and taken to an open admission shelter where they will live for the next thirty days. They will receive the best care, and live the best life, they have ever lived. There will be no more fighting, they will no longer face the cruel reality of life as a yard dog.

They now face a new reality. In thirty days there will be a disposition hearing. At that time, a judge will determine if they are to be returned to their owner or destroyed. There will be no national media attention. No well funded, top notch rescue facilities will step up to save them. They will pay the ultimate price for the abuse inflicted on them. The victim will be killed because of the crimes perpetrated against them.

We are the other victim of this crime. The individuals that were allowed to abuse and torture these dogs, are still going to be free to get more dogs and continue their criminal behavior. Two more Pit Bulls will be dead, but our community is still home to the individuals that find this barbaric behavior to be acceptable.

If you doubt the penalties for dog fighting are laughable, go back to the report on the former deputy that was recently sentenced for his part in the dog fighting ring in Stoddard county. He received a suspended imposition of sentence. Part of his punishment was he could not participate in any dog fighting activity during his probationary period. In essence, his behavior went unpunished. He was certainly inconvenienced for a short time, but he is back out on our streets.

This is not an isolated incident. The criminals committing these crimes are regularly released with little or not penalty. These people find it acceptable to torture dogs and our society is sanctioning it. Our law makers are passing laws against the victims and turning a blind eye to the actual criminal. It is expensive and time consuming to investigate and prosecute animal abuse. If we ignore these crimes where does it stop? Who is the next victim to be held accountable for the crimes committed against them?

For Jed and Amos the journey is almost over. Take a moment to honor them by showing some affection to your own pets. Say a prayer that this circle of abuse will be stopped and the criminals will begin to pay for their crimes. Only by addressing the source of the danger, the criminal, will we have security in our homes. These people must be held accountable. The penalty must be as harsh as the crime.