The Daily Oklahoman is reporting that a dog fighting ring that spanned five different states has been broken up by local, state, and federal authorities. Jerry Matlock of Stilwell, OK was arrested near Welling, which is located in rural Cherokee County. Arrests were also made in Texas, Missouri, Illinois, and Iowa and about 350 dogs were seized. The raids that occurred on Tuesday were the result of an investigation that lasted more than a year that stemmed from information gained by the Humane Society of Missouri. Thirty arrests were made across the five states.

I am certainly not one to intrude upon what individuals do for enjoyment and pleasure. Even though I may not agree with some things you like to do, as long as you are not harming yourself or others, then what you do is your own business. When it comes to something like dog fights or chicken fights, then I simply have to draw the line. As you can see in this picture, this is not a pleasant thing. It is purely a primal and dare I say, evil thing. How can anyone look at these and entertain the thought that it would be fun to watch a fight like this and bet on who the winner would be?

The results of a fight such as this go well beyond what you see in the ring. Losing dogs are sometimes killed because they are of no further use to the owner. After all, who would place a bet on a dog that has already been beaten and is crippled? As you can see in the picture on the right, the dogs are scarred for life. This particular dog looks either scared or angry and I would dare say whoever is holding him is very wary of him, considering the size of the stick that is holding him still. I can’t help but think there should be more to the relationship between a dog and a human than how good they can fight and how much money someone is willing to wager on that ability.

This is truly something I do not understand about some of our fellow human beings. Why anyone would want to watch a dog fight is beyond me. Trust me, if you have never witnessed a real dog fight, you have no idea. I am not talking about a quick snarl and snap between dogs, but a fight to the death. I have witnessed the end of such a fight and it was not a pretty thing. It was purely accidental that it happened, but it was vicious and brutal and it brought out the worst from the animal we call man’s best friend.

The saddest part of this entire story are the dogs that have been seized. No doubt they will be well cared for and properly fed, but with the life they have had, it will be a long time before they are ever able to be a part of a family. Through no fault of their own, they may never be able to be trusted to not attack other dogs or humans. Who knows how many of them will have to be put down because of the life they have been forced to live. They are in a no-win situation that will probably end with their lives being taken. It makes me angry and I honestly hope they throw the book at those who were responsible.

Tags: Animal Cruelty, Cherokee County, Chicken Fighting, Dog Fighting, Gambling, Humane Society, Illinois, Iowa, Jerry Matlock, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 9th, 2009 at 6:35 am and is filed under News/Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.