Earlier this year, a 2-year old Kelpie-cross was found lying next to a busy road in Western Sydney. Her muzzle was taped shut, she had deep wounds across her body, no collar and no microchip. While passers-by did their best to get her to the vet, she died in agony on the way (1).

Immediately, speculation was rife. Was she another victim of dog fighting - a cruel blood sport known to occur behind closed doors across Australia? Reports provided to Emma Hurst MP and the Animal Welfare League suggested she was, but with dog fighting illegal under NSW law, how was this cruelty still occurring in our communities?

What is dog fighting?

Dog fighting is the practice of pitting one dog against another for entertainment and betting purposes, usually to the point of death. Fighting dogs are often a type of Staffordshire Terrier or Pitbull Terrier. They are cruelly trained  and kept to make them aggressive for the purpose of fighting (2).

History of dog fighting

Dog fighting has a long history. When the Romans invaded England in 43AD, both sides had fighting dogs for use in war. Dogs were cross-bred and used for entertainment back in Rome’s Colosseum where they were made to fight against elephants, lions and all manner of animals (3).

In medieval England, dogs were pitted against chained bulls or bears in fighting rings for entertainment. This continued right up to the 19^th century when dog fighting, and bull and bear ‘baiting’ were banned. Although illegal, it was more difficult to enforce the ban on dog-on-dog fighting as a purpose-built ring was not required, and the sport flourished. Dogs were also brought to the US in the 19^th century, and a culture of dog fighting took off there (4).   

Today, whilst dog fighting is outlawed in most countries including all states and territories in Australia (5), it continues to be widely practiced either openly or secretly in parts of the Americas, Europe, Middle East and Asia (6).

Dog fighting in Australia

In Australia, it’s estimated there are at least 150 illegal dog fighting rings (7), with reports of stings on illegal dog fighting occurring multiple times each year.

Here in NSW dog fighting rings have been exposed in the Hunter Valley - where participants would use generators to power lights and set up temporary fencing to create a fighting ring in remote bush locations around Oyster Cove, near Anna Bay (8) - and Sydney (9).

More recently exposés of South Australian, Queensland and national dog fighting rings - where puppies were slaughtered if they didn’t ‘make the cut’ - have shown that dog fighting is a brutal and growing problem in Australia (10).

Cruelty and suffering to dogs

Dogs kept for fighting are chained, beaten and deprived of food and water to make them aggressive. Weights can be placed around their necks to build up their muscular strength or they might have electric shock collars forced on them. They are coerced to run on treadmills for exercise, and can be injected with steroids or cocaine to ‘improve’ their performance (11).

Owners might cut off the tails or ears of dogs at home to prevent other dogs latching on to them during fights. This also means the dogs’ fear is not visible in the form of twitching ears or tails raised or sunk between their legs (12).

Fights might be set up in basements or warehouses in cities, or in remote properties or fighting pits in the bush (13). Big money changes hands as gambling takes place during fights and the stakes for owners are high (14). Dogs often fight until the death, or there is serious injury.

Owners will deny animals veterinary care for their injuries or administer it themselves using crude equipment.  A South Australian man who was charged over organised dog fighting and sentenced to 7 months’ gaol, was found to have prescription drugs, local anaesthetic and a staple gun in his home, thought to be for treatment of his dogs’ injuries (15).