27 Aug 2008
When I first read the Michael Vick headlines on dogfighting, I really didn’t know why it was such a big deal. I thought of it like cockfighting, which is legal and popular in many countries.
Dogfighting is a felony in the United States. According to Wikipedia, it used to be legal back in the colonial days, but is now illegal due to its violent nature. It is interesting how much more pacifist society has become. Even bullfighting, practiced for centuries, is getting a bad rap in Europe.
Is dogfighting really any different than other violent treatment of animals? We kill millions of animals everyday for food, fur, and fun. Big game hunting is legal and widely practiced. Animals kill each other without remorse.
Could we be biased by our culture, where dogs are kept as pets and considered our best friends?
I thought about this and realized that the difference is in intent. Bullfighting is as much a sign of respect for the bull as it is for the matador. Hunting is something that the human race has always done for survival, and recreational hunting can be seen as a tribute to that instinct. Animals kill each other instinctively for survival.
Dogfighting is different. It involves breeding dogs for aggressive traits by abusing them and rewarding them for violence. They are no longer dogs, instead becoming fiendish tools through which gamblers and often insecure men attempt to prove their prowess.
Related: A CNN commentary on dogfighting.