Sports By The Numbers MMA: Knock Out Dog Fighting - Part 2- Kris Crawford
http://www.sportsbythenumbersmma.com/2009/05/knock-out-dog-fighting-part-two.html
May 27, 2009
Zac Robinson
In part one you were introduced to Kris Crawford and her heroic pit bulls, Cheyenne, Dakota, and Tahoe. Kris’ foundation, For Pits’ Sake has done a great deal to help others, but she felt an area of utmost importance was lacking – The fight against dog fighting.
There were some segments of the population that Kris' anti-dog fighting awareness campaign was having a hard time reaching. To make matters worse, the high-profile arrest of Michael Vick actually generated more interest among some youth. They figured that if Vick did it, it’s cool, and cared less about the possible consequences.
Kris was gaining a newfound respect for MMA fighters so she sought some of the best around for help. The first two she met were Cung Le and Josh Thomson. With a hint of trepidation, after all these guys fight for a living, she asked them if they’d be willing to join the campaign. Both responded favorably and she immediately felt at ease with them. She soon realized the fighters, and in many regards the sport of MMA, were a lot like her pit bulls, take the time to get to know them and you see they have so much to offer.
Josh Thomson did a public service announcement with his dog Brady and said, “...Real fighters stand up for what is right to protect those less able to do so...”
Cung Le is with Tahoe in his public service announcement and he echoes Josh’s sentiment, “...Dog fighting in cruel and inhumane and those who engage in it are losers...”
Soon other MMA stars joined Josh and Cung, like Anthony Johnson, Paul Buentello, Rob McCullough, and of course Andrei “The Pit Bull” Arlovski. Each one is doing his part to help Kris put a stop to the heinous act of dog fighting. These are some of the toughest men in the world, and they are telling others that there is a huge difference between MMA and dog fighting. One is a sport in which men and women choose to compete. The other is nothing but a criminal activity involving participants who do not have a choice.
One would think that this effort would go a long ways in the fight against dog fighting, but more has to be done to counteract the “cool factor” of Michael Vick and the already pervasive criminal activity of dog fighting throughout the United States.
Fortunately Kris and her pit bulls are up for the task. She has developed a program in which she and her dogs go into schools and juvenile detention centers on a weekly basis. Kris recognizes that it is much wiser to be preventative instead of punitive, “I believe the most effective way to stop this cycle of violence is to teach our youth about the proper treatment of animals and provide them with alternatives to dog fighting. Children and young adults are like sponges; they are constantly learning from their experiences. If something truly touches the heart and soul of a child, it stays with him or her into adulthood. This type of education can create a cycle of a different sort: a cycle of compassion.”
Education is the key. The Knock Out Dog Fighting program does more than just tell the kids not to fight dogs. It goes a step further with Kris giving them healthy alternatives. Again, it isn’t a “don’t do this, don’t do that” approach, instead it teaches the kids what they can do and shows them how.
The program is quite powerful, especially when some pretty powerful role models join the presentation. Check out PART THREE to read how Paul Buentello, Josh Thomson, and Anthony Johnson influenced over one hundred detainees at a juvenile detention center.
