Sports By The Numbers MMA: Knock Out Dog Fighting - Part 3- Kris Crawford
http://www.sportsbythenumbersmma.com/2009/05/knock-out-dog-fighting-part-three.html
May 27, 2009
Zac Robinson
All sporting their Knoxx Knock Out Dog Fighting shirts, Paul Buentello, Josh Thomson, and Anthony Johnson waited for their cue as Kris Crawford, the founder of Knock Out Dog Fighting spoke. She, and her pit bulls, Cheyenne, Dakota, and Tahoe, stood at center court of the gym, in front of over a hundred juvenile detainees at the Santa Clara County Juvenile Detention Center.
Kris scanned the crowd. Despite its age, the group was hardened and some were reluctant to take advice from anyone. She began and called to her dogs. Another quick scan and it was obvious that the interest level had increased. Some scooted to the edge of their seats, and others leaned to the side to get a better view.
Next, she demonstrated scent detection work that she trained her pit bulls Tahoe and Dakota to do. The then talked about many of the other things pitbulls could do: tracking, agility, flyball (a relay race in which the dogs traverse and obstacle course, release and catch a tennis ball from a spring-loaded box, and return to their handlers), dock diving, and Frisbee disc competition.
Her dogs performed flawlessly and under the watchful eyes of the detention officers, the kids’ interest grew. She did not lecture them about not fighting dogs, or the fact that it is best to show compassion towards them. Instead she showed them. She demonstrated that there was a different way to treat the animals; a way that many of the kids maybe didn’t realize existed.
Then she called on MMA stars Paul Buentello and Josh Thomson. A murmur of excitement rippled through the detainees when they saw the fighters. Both of them spoke of self-discipline and making choices, not just about how to treat dogs, but about all aspects of life. They talked about second chances and how everyone there would get one if he/she made the right choices.
It was a powerful message and the group was fully into the presentation. Next it was Anthony Johnson’s turn. He spoke about dog fighting and having pit bulls for the right reasons. Then he asked, “How many here have pit bulls?”
Almost a third of the detainees raised their hands. Johnson nodded, “How many of you like Michael Vick and what he does with the dogs?”
Hands went up around the room until over half of them were in the air. Johnson shook his head this time, disturbed by such a high number and asked another question, “How many of you fight your dogs?”
All but three of the same detainees who acknowledged they had pit bulls raised their hands. Johnson was done asking questions and went on to tell them that he has five pit bulls and he would NEVER fight any of them. As he talked, Kris played a slideshow of him with his dogs.
Anthony Johnson is no doubt a role model to these kids. Many of them had seen him fight in the UFC, and here he was breaking the stereotypes of how a pit bull owner should treat his dogs. He talked of his relationship with them and told the kids, “Those who fight their dogs have them for the wrong reasons. They are not to be fought. They are for companionship and you should have them because you love them.”
No doubt the presentation was a success in breaking stereotypes about pit bulls and their owners.
It was not their intent, but Paul Buentello, Josh Thomson, and Anthony Johnson broke another stereotype. So many see Mixed Martial Arts and those who participate in the sport as violent, yet these guys were speaking out against violence.
After the presentation, the Santa Clara Detention Center sent Kris a letter. Part of it read, “The connection with Mixed Martial Arts was a highlight that our kids truly enjoyed. When to fight and when not to fight is information that our kids need to know and seeing it from your perspective is a really cool thing. Having professional fighters talk about fighting others but condemning dog fighting made for an interesting presentation. Hearing from their idols and role models that dog fighting is for losers, was very eye opening for many of our kids.”
In PART FOUR you can read a little bit about Michael Vick and the prevalence of dog fighting in the U.S.
