THE RISE OF DOG FIGHTING IN SHEFFIELD: LOYALTY AND CRUELTY IN A FIGHT TO THE DEATH

Pitbull set to fight - c/o Alamy

Cuts cover his face and neck, his front legs broken, unable to support his weight. Yet Rifle the Pit Bull is not ready to quit. On the referee’s signal, he uses his hind legs to slowly propel himself across the urine and blood-stained concrete pit. His rival rushes to meet him. 

Driven by sheer loyalty and love for his owner, Rifle painfully awaits the lunge of his opponent. The rapturous crowd demand their due. Fifteen minutes pass, Rifle lies at his owner’s feet, his skull partially exposed after the skin on his head was torn off by his opponent, he’s holding on. His owner uses a sponge to cover him in water. He then connects Rifle to a live wire. It’s over. 

You would have thought it was a thing of the past, dog fighting has been illegal in Britain for 150 years, yet recent figures released by the RSPCA show that reports of people using ‘man’s best friend’ in brutal fights have soared by over a third in the last five years and South Yorkshire is not exempt from this statistic. 

In fact the county has been named in the top ten worst places in the country for animal fighting – coming eighth with 18 reports last year. The Sheffield area was responsible for six of those complaints. 

Ian Briggs, chief inspector of the RSPCA’s Special Investigation Unit, has said that people don’t believe some of the things he has witnessed in the dog fighting underworld. 

“People are startled when I tell them about some of the things I have seen, heard and dealt with when it comes to dog fighting. 

“Some simply won’t accept it happens. I really hope these figures go to prove them wrong – some people deliberately breed, train and fight dogs for the sole purpose of seeing them suffer.” 

But, just how much do we, the public, know about dog fighting and the very secretive world that surrounds it? What actually happens before, after and during a fight? 

In ‘professional’ dog fighting, fighters source what they hope to be a winning dog right from its birth. Dogs are often taken from the litter of previous winners with hopes that the pup will grow to have similar traits to its parent. 

When they are old enough, the dogs are put on a ‘keep’- a strict training schedule, much like that of a boxer. To increase stamina, the dogs are often are put on treadmills whilst wearing weighted collars, hanging tyres are also used and the dogs are sometimes injected with drugs like Cocaine to incite them to fight. 

February this year saw the police join the RSPCA to arrest 48-year-old John Psalia from Wigan.

Officers arrested Mr Psalia after uncovering what they thought to be a “training school for fighting dogs,” in his home. They found weighing scales, home veterinary kits and muscle-gaining powder alongside dog fighting yearbooks and a bucket containing a blood soaked sponge. 

Although Pit Bulls have always been the preferred breed of dog for fighting – despite being banned in the UK under the 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act – recently there’s been an increase in people from all walks of life fighting Staffordshire Bull Terriers as well as various cross breeds. 

The father-of-two received the maximum sentence of six months in prison and was banned from keeping animals for life. This conviction was a major breakthrough for the RSPCA in their mission to stamp down on dog fighting. 

Although bodybuilder Psalia wasn’t caught conducting a fight, the law states that anyone found preparing, promoting or betting on a proposed fight can be convicted. Those found around the area a fight might be taking place without good reason can likewise face fines up to £20,000. 

Yet, even though this prosecution was very well documented by the British, some people still believe that that reports of dog fighting and related activities are not being taken seriously enough. 

Dog lover Ruth Owen from Sheffield said that when she called the police to report three suspicious men with a van full of bull breed dogs, the police may as well have just laughed at her. 

“The men were trying to judge which of the dogs was the most vicious. I rang the police, I gave them the van’s registration, yet they didn’t seem bothered at all – they even told me to calm down!” 

Despite South Yorkshire police refusing to comment on the mother-of- two’s report, the fact the men were looking for the most vicious dog of the bunch is more than plausible.   

Dogs that are chosen to be fighters are often tested for ‘gameness’ – how willing they are to fight. This is done by both ‘professional’ fighters and those who participate in the new-wave of less organised fights that take place in parks and fields. 

Before a fight takes place, the dogs take part in controlled ‘rolls and bumps’ with other dogs as well as other animals like rabbits, fox cubs and badgers. These animals are chained up and used as helpless bait. Many of those used are stolen straight off the street – people’s pets. 

Kirsty Linnett from Woodseats adopted a former bait dog 14 years ago, she said that her dog has regular nightmares and is very untrusting of people and other dogs. 

“My dog had been involved with dog fighting, he wasn’t the fighter he was one of the real victims – he wasn’t allowed to fight back, that’s why’s he covered head to toe in scars, most of his body is covered in scar tissue. He’s still terrified of other dogs!” 

The fights themselves see the dogs bathed to ensure their coat hasn’t been covered in anything poisonous. The dogs are then put in opposing corners and then it’s simply a fight to the death, with the loser either dying from its injuries or being brutally tortured to death by its owner as consequence for the embarrassment of having lost.

Losing dogs in the past have been found hanged, shot, electrocuted and even chopped up limb by limb. 

But yet, all the owner does is find a new fighter and start the process again. Dog fighting should not be a taboo topic. We shouldn’t hide it in the back of our minds. It is happening. In fact it could be happening a lot closer to home than we first thought! 

If you have information about organised dog fighting, or any form of animal cruelty, suffering or neglect, you can call the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999. Or contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.