The Life of a Pit bull

By: Nicole Shalit

In the past few years, there have been many attacks on pit bulls. Believed to be a dangerous breed, these dogs are often traded for illegal dog fights, and some are even beaten to death.

There are endless articles on the web of dogfights between pit bulls. Many of their owners brag about having a “winner” and how many fights each has been in. These fights usually end in death for one of the dogs, and in many cases the other dog suffers brutal injuries. Even though dogfights are illegal in the United States, there are still countless rings of underground fights going on every day.

One of these underground fighting rings was found in April 2004. Owner David Tant of North Charleston had 47 pit bulls that were being trained to fight. He faced 41 charges, of which the judge found him guilty. He will be spending the next 30 years in a jail cell. Tant has been labeled the no. 2 breeder for fighting pit bulls.

The worst case of pit bull abuse I have ever heard is about a dog named Maximus. This happened August of 2007. Derick Phanord, Maximus’ owner, is being charged with dousing his dog with gasoline. Phanord did not deny this, he clams the dog was dangerous. Maximus was found by a passerby, who found the burned dog tied to a tree near Phanord’s house. Nearly 60% of its body with second and third degree burns. Animal cruelty is against the law, however many still feel the law does not apply to pit bulls.

In 1994 a man in Ohio was charged for the death of his girlfriend. She was mauled to death by their pit bull. Evidence was found that he had trained the dog to attack the woman. His conviction was upheld by the 8th district court of appeals in 1995.

There are studies that show that nearly all of the serial killers that have been caught, have had some form of animal abuse charge against them. There are also arguments saying if these people were put in jail (or not released from jail) then many people would still be alive today.

There is now talk of a law making the abuse of pit bulls specifically illegal. The law is said to state that anyone caught doing any harm to a pit bull (whether it be their dog or otherwise) will get a minimum of 5 years in prison. Although this law is being considered, it has not been passed to my knowledge.