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Dog Eat Dog: Considering Animal Fighting in America
July 24, 2007

by Hal Clarke

With dog carcasses already unearthed from Michael Vick’s backyard there seems little doubt the professional football quarterback was deeply entrenched in the world of high stakes dog fighting. And with the evidence mounting the frenzied media has been released, raking the man and his “hobby” over the coals. Read enough sources and you’ll find plenty of pundits calling for the man’s head on a platter, his endorsement deals to end, and for his next few years to be spent behind bars rather than on the gridiron. Sending dogs to the slaughter, it seems, in our 2007 world, is akin to punching a baby in the face and then kicking him when he’s down. Fair enough, I say, but why aren’t we equally interested in discovering the motivation for such a barbaric hobby as we are in preparing the gallows?

We are a modern society born of professional wrestling, monster truck rallies, Jerry Springer, The National Enquirer, and The Ultimate Fighting Championship. Maybe not born, but unquestionably nurtured, and while that categorization doesn’t entirely define us, no doubt those entertainments contribute to who we are as Americans whether we like them or not. None of them are intrinsically “bad” or “wrong,” I think, as dog fighting surely is, but they have certainly encountered much negative heat and protest. However, being thriving business ventures that happily pay their taxes to Uncle Sam, they carry on, shocking, offending, and even insulting us as we gleefully support their parent companies. So why then, when we hear about a professional athlete engaging in the oddity of dog fighting do we only condemn, failing to ever ask the question, “why?” and getting to the bigger picture rather than wallowing in the initial shock and horror of the sad outcome: unnecessary animal death?

I agree with most that dog fighting is horrendous and rightfully illegal in The United States. However, rather than dismiss it as mere barbarity without conscience, I am interested in digging deeper. It isn’t enough for me to condemn, I seek answers to the nagging question, “Why?” and demand, at least from myself, more insight than a mere angry perspective that clearly is never enough to discover any truth.

Over the years I’ve read a bit on animal fights to the death. Most startling isn’t the result of the brawls, death to one or both the animals, but the fact that when owners put their wounded beyond repair animals out of their misery with a shotgun blast or a blade to the neck it is something that tears them up inside. For these owners their dogs aren’t mere killing machines or even neglected animals (at least until they battle to the death), these are truly man’s best friends: beloved, cherished, honored, highly trained and nurtured, and even flaunted for their intelligence, tenacity, and killer instinct. After all, what parent doesn’t take pleasure in bragging about their child (human or otherwise) and doing all they can to make her the best she can be? It just so happens some animals have as their nature fighting, and those who train these killer beasts see it as unleashing that beast at its best. And don’t we all want ourselves and our loved ones to be the best they can be?

As Patrick Swayze’s character Bodhi said in Point Break, “It isn’t tragic to die doing what you love.” Perhaps that is how some of these owners rationalize putting their beloved pet in the pit with life and limb hanging in the balance, but what they overlook is that their pet isn't choosing a life of brutality and certain death, they are choosing that life for them. So maybe Michael Vick sees dog fighting as bringing out the best in an animal, as strange as that may seem, and isn’t merely an example of another celebrity thinking he’s above the law. Or, on the other hand, perhaps Vick is little more than a piece of shit abusing animals for the sake of money and entertainment. But how are we to honestly answer the question when we fail to seek the greater perspective? In the end only two things are for sure: dog fighting is unquestionably inhumane and categorizing all animal fighting enthusiasts one way or another is as ignorant as truly believing any stereotype fits everyone.

Looking for More Answers

Gerald McClellan, the once famous boxer whose life was irreversibly changed in 1995 when severe brain damage following a bout forced him into a wheelchair, was another athlete entrenched in the world of dog fighting. While nothing ever came out of the many allegations, McClellan was none too shy about his love of pit bulls, parading them around with him frequently on his jaunts in the spotlight. He spoke kindly of his animals always and to see pictures of him with them it is difficult to imagine anything other than love between dog and man. This is not to say he did or did not put his animals in life or death battles, but knowing his words on the subject and seeing the pictures for one’s self it paints a much different picture than the heartless task master with blood on his hands and blackness covering his heart that so many seem to think exclusively defines those tagged as dog fight aficionados. If you get the chance search out some information on McClellan as his story is both fascinating and tragic at the same time. The Gerald McLellan Tragedy from The UK Guardian

Another place to see a different side of animal fighting is in the 1974 movie, Cockfighter. Banned numerous times over the years for its vivid portrayal of cock fighting, the movie is a fascinating sojourn into a culture that rarely if ever gets a chance to explain itself. Warren Oates is outstanding in a near silent performance as a man grasping at straws in an outlaw world which is the only one he has ever known. In no way glorifying the “sport” and thoroughly engrossing from start to finish, Cockfighter is both unexpectedly moving and unflinchingly terse in its storytelling, culminating in a mesmerizing picture of a true underground world. Cockfighter on Rotten Tomatoes

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Want to tell Hal Clarke he's an insensitive prick whose full of shit? Or maybe you agree. Email him at halclarke@undependentmedia.com

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