Social Control, Law, Crime, and Deviance Commons^™

Dogfighters On The Run: The Hsus Spurs Police Crackdown

Close Up Reports

How can anyone derive satisfaction from watching two dogs tear each other apart? How can anyone sit for hours, not only watching but cheering every wound, every broken leg or mangled eye?

We can only guess the answers to such questions. What we do know is that every weekend, hundreds of men, women, and children attend dogfights, enjoying the blood and excitement of dogs matched to the death and even wagering on the outcome. Virtually anyplace--a vacant garage, warehouse, apartment building basement, or city park--can house a dog pit. A picturesque farmhouse or barn may hold hundreds of spectators brought …

Hsus Helps Bust Cruel Dogfights

Close Up Reports

The HSUS believes that dogfighting, along with other blood sports, is nothing less than torture for fun that is degrading and unfit for a civilized society.

The HSUS' dogfighting program is one of the most extensive in the nation. We are frequently contacted by other animal welfare groups, law enforcement agencies, and the media to provide assistance or expertise. Our investigators frequently travel undercover to dogfights, risking their lives to garner information from the heavily armed and often drug-using dogfighting fraternity. It is often information that only we are interested in providing that enables dogfighters to be caught and arrested. …

Illegal, Secret Dogfights And Cockfights Rampant In The U.S.

Close Up Reports

Early in July, a team of more than 30 local, state, and federal law enforcement officers led by HSUS investigators made a raid on a secret cockfight arena on the outskirts of town. More than 100 people were caught inside the building. All were violating Wyoming state law and possibly federal law.

Unlike cockfighting, dogfighting is expressly prohibited in all 50 states. It, too, is a violation of the animal fighting ventures section of the Animal Welfare Act. HSUS investigators are continually following up leads and providing information on illegal dogfights to local animal welfare groups and law enforcement agencies.

Hsus Investigation Leads To Fifty Arrests In Cockfight Raid

Close Up Reports

Because cockfighting is illegal in California, cockfights are held in the strictest secrecy. An HSUS undercover informant, posing as a cockfighting enthusiast, managed to win the confidence of some members of the cockfighting fraternity near Sacramento, California. After several months of undercover work, he was finally invited to a major Derby meet on Sunday, April 23rd. He immediately began arrangements to have the fight raided and participants arrested. Three members of the HSUS Investigations Department, Frantz Dantzler, Phil Steward, and Marc Paulhus, flew to California to set up the raid.

Hsus Fights Cruelty In Pounds

Close Up Reports

The following report will tell you of some of the conditions HSUS investigators have found in dog pounds across the country, how HSUS is working to improve them, and how you can help.