Please get involved in the important endeavor. You can participate from the comfort of your home on Tuesday, April 8th, from 7-8 pm Eastern time:
Dog fighting is a horrendous, money-making system and the ASPCA is bringing awareness to this insidious crime by dedicating a day to helping stop it: National Dog Fighting Awareness Day takes place on April 8th, 2014. This day was created to get people talking about this severe form of animal cruelty and help put an end to it. It is estimated that dog fighting has been going on since the late 1800s and now takes place throughout the country and in all economic brackets.
When offenders, particularly famous offenders, such as NFL football player Michael Vick, are overlooked for having instituting and profiting from this horrific cruelty, and go on to secure million dollar sporting and endorsement contracts, it only makes it worse. (Terrible move, NY Jets, for signing him this year. Visit Boycott the NY Jets and Michael Vick). People say he made a mistake but intentionally killing, torturing and maiming dogs over several years is NOT a mistake. This statement from Matthew Bershadker, President of the ASPCA, stresses exactly why we must not forget what Vick and others like him do:
“It became clear over the course of the investigation that this was not a crime of passion or a case of obliviousness. Michael Vick was fully involved in a six-year pattern of illegal activity that included dogs being savagely electrocuted, drowned, and beaten to death.”
This was a multi-million dollar ring. Profits were high and greed was underlying, as is the case in nearly all dog fighting operations.
Sadly, this is just one high profile case, there are so many more underground operations that no one hears about. According to the ASPCA, there are profitable dog fighting rings located in cities, rural, and suburban areas:
“Fighters were traditionally attracted to states with weaker penalties for dog fighting and animal cruelty, many in the South—but laws continue to be made stronger throughout the country. As a result, this activity is no longer limited to any single area, but it is more likely to thrive wherever enforcement of anti-fighting laws is weak.”
This is exactly why we need to work together to help create stricter laws and enforce the animal cruelty laws already enacted. On April 8th, the ASPCA is hosting a Google+ Hangout with national experts to discuss the underground world of dog fighting.
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