Release The Dogs: Creating A Social Remedy to the Dog Fighting Epidemic - Kris Crawford
Amanda M. Searle
Spring 2008
Part V - Preventative Solutions (Kris Crawford, Kristine Crawford, For Pits Sake)
A community that encompasses proper police training, effective education and community outreach, and safe alternatives to dog fighting will serve to stifle the dog fighting epidemic at its source. In order to arrive at the proper community solution, it is appropriate to briefly analyze these three areas of the social remedy.
a. Governmental Responsibility in Police Training - Kris Crawford
One factor that allows dog fighting to thrive is dog fighting rings are extremely difficult to detect as a result of their secretive nature. Local municipalities need to allocate more funds to the police force in order to sponsor special teams designated to detect dog fighting rings. While these teams should conduct training in order to become more aware of the signs of dog fighting in the communities, it should also be the duty of every police officer to be able to detect the signs of this illegal activity. The Humane Society of the United States offers courses that deal with animal fighting. Topics such as the use of successful investigative techniques, use of informants, undercover operations, search warrants, and care and disposition of seized fighting animals are covered.101
Police forces in major metropolitan areas can also target the school system and community centers and provide education on the signs to detect dog fighting and the proper procedure to report the illegal activity. Police should educate the community on the following signs. They should describe the equipment associated with dog fighting such as cages, pit rings, heavy chains, and weights. They should also encourage the community to be cognizant of properties where multiple pit bulls reside who appear to consistently have wounds, scars, and untreated injuries. They should educate the public to be aware of blood spatters, veterinarian supplies, and dog fighting magazines that might lead one to believe that an individual is engaged in dog fighting. (Kris Crawford, Kristine Crawford, For Pits Sake)
Last, an individual should be aware of heavy traffic flow of people and dogs to and from a specified property.106 While some enforcement agencies assert that, in light of the Michael Vick case, a more concerted effort to uncover and prosecute dog fighting will take affect, further community outreach programs can help create community awareness and hopefully suppress dog fighting potential within a particular community at the outset.
b. Community Outreach - Kris Crawford
In order to deter dog fighting, communities need to implement strategies to increase social awareness through community outreach. Some communities, where dog fighting has run rampant, have initiated such programs which have proved successful: San Jose's Knock Out Dog Fighting program whose goal is ending the violence of dog fighting before society becomes a victim.
Part VI - Conclusion - click here
Part I - Release The Dogs: The Problem- click here
Part II - The Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act - click here
Part III - State Law Comparison: California and Nevada - click here
Part IV - Breed Specific Legislation Not The Answer - click here
Part V - Preventative Solutions - click here
Part VI - Conclusion - click here
