America's Thirst for Blood Sports

From movies to video games; from the cage of ultimate fighting to the pit of dog fighting, Americans live in a culture of violence. "We are a more violent society than we've been in the past," said Eric Sakach of The Humane Society of the United States. "Boxing matches aren't bloody enough. You have to have extreme fighting. "There's some stuff happening right now sociologically that really needs to be considered here, and unfortunately, animals are part of that mix, and how they're used and abused," he added. "Frequently, they're just being abused." CBN News caught up with animal crimes investigators in Chicago as they rescued a dog living in filth. They believe it didn't have food or water -- with the exception of rainwater -- for a week. Weak from malnutrition and a lack of exercise, the dog had trouble walking. If police had not rescued it, it could have literally fed a cycle of violence. "This is a perfect case where the dog could be stolen and used as bait because the dog is just left behind," Sgt. Eldon Urbikas of the Chicago police department said. That is, bait for a dog trained to fight -- and trained to kill. Dog Fighting: More Popular Than Ever Dog fighting has been around for hundreds of years, and today it appears to be stronger than ever. The Humane Society estimates about 40,000 people are involved in organized contests and as many as 100,000 more take part in informal "street" dog fighting. "They're supposed to be companion animals, and it's just a shame that society or human beings would treat them the way they do," said Mike Roach of the Anti-Cruelty Society in Chicago. "It's a major problem, and it is national. It's international. It's going on all over -- in the city, out of the city, suburban and rural." Sgt. Steve Brownstein of the Chicago Police Department agrees. He's devoted much of his career to arresting the handlers and rescuing the fighters, including his pet pit bull mix, Daisy. "For over 11 years now, I've had her, and had I not gotten her, she would probably have been dead within a month or two," said Brownstein. Daisy still has scars from her days in the pit. "To me, she's one in a million, but she's one in a million literally, because for every Daisy that's rescued from abuse, there are millions of these animals, or hundreds of thousands of these animals that are being fought and abused and never have a chance," added Brownstein. Don't Call it a 'Sport' He bristles when people call it a sport. "I've seen the most graphic things that you can imagine -- dogs screaming and crying," Brownstein said. "How is that a sport or anything recreational? It's nothing but an act of mutilation." Experts say that act comes with a host of other evils. "There's money," said Roach. "There's drugs, there's a weapon, and there's the taste of blood." "There's an excitement or an arousal, a physical arousal, so to speak, to looking at the forbidden," said Dr. Lee Underwood, a clinical psychologist. "It's very sad to me that human beings would gain pleasure, any kind of pleasure whatsoever from seeing animals mutilate each other," emphasized Brownstein. Investigators say dog fighting is on three levels: those who do it as a hobby, owners who are a part of gangs, and those whom authorities call the professionals. Investigators put NFL star Michael Vick's dog fighting operation at the professional level. Vick pleaded guilty to a felony dog fighting charge, admitting he helped kill up to eight pit bulls that did not perform well. "There's a message that has to go out," said Roach. "This dog will be shot. It will be burnt. It will be hung on a fence to die of its wounds, tied to railroad tracks so a train runs it over, electrocuted." Children - Spectators and Participants Another disturbing aspect is the involvement of children as young as grade-school age -- as spectators and participants. "They'll take a small puppy and they'll start beating him, even at the age of five - six weeks old, they'll start beating him, kicking the animal, flinging him, brutalizing the animal because all they want it for is to fight," Brownstein said. "When you got this dog with you, you feel like this dog makes you feel superior to everybody else," one dog owner said. "From a very young age it becomes normal," Underwood said. "It's just a part of life. It's a routine behavior." Underwood says those who are violent toward dogs are likely to turn on people. "The same distortion there that allows you to act violently on an animal would certainly allow you to act violent on a human being," Underwood said. That's why Brownstein believes crimes like murder and rape could be prevented by police aggressively pursuing dog fighters and animal abusers. He says animal rights organizations should then stay on top of the police, making sure rarely enforced laws are enforced. "There should be thousands upon thousands of arrests for animal cruelty and dog fighting throughout the United States -- hundreds of thousands," Brownstein said. "Millions of animals should be confiscated every year - from abuse and animal fighting - every year in the United States because the crime is common." If offenders know a police arrest is also common, then perhaps this thirst for blood will be curbed in the pit and in other places.