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A Mission of Mercy
Underground publications such as Sporting Dog Journal, The Scratch Line and Face Your Dogs have grown since the 1970s, when Sakach says there were three published regularly; the Humane Society now tracks ten. These periodicals routinely report on recent matches and advertise the sale of fighting dogs. As a hedge against snoopy cops, many publishers require new subscribers to have a sponsor.Another measure of the sport's popularity is the increasing number of mauled and mutilated dogs turning up at shelters. In 1998, for example, shelters in Philadelphia put down more than 3300 pit bull terriers and some 300 were found dead on the streets.
To police officers like Chris Sanford, it's a clear mission of mercy to halt dogfighting. As a narcotics officer in Galt, Calif., Sanford helped disrupt the network of 26-year-old Cesar Cerda and uncovered grisly evidence of how pit bulls are treated. A veterinary technician by day, Cerda's real profession was breeding, training and fighting pit bulls. He was known in the sport as a good "staple man," someone adept at surgically stapling a dog's wounds. Inside Cerda's house, police found videos of more than 50 dogfights.
In a nearby barn, officers also found treadmills and other exercise devices, including a curious thing that looked like a miniature horse walker. This was called a jenny, Sanford learned, or sometimes a cat mill. Dogs in training are harnessed to a spoke projecting from a central shaft and encouraged to chase similarly restrained cats or other bait animals. If the dog works hard, he may get the cat as a reward.
One gadget discovered on the property especially angered Sanford: On one end was a wire with a plug and, on the other, two alligator clips caked with blood and hair. The wire was used to execute dogs who were badly injured or had "curred out," meaning they'd quit during a match. One of the dog's feet is put in a bucket of water, while the alligator clips are attached to its tongue and rectum.
Cerda pleaded no-contest to 63 felony charges, including cruelty to animals and owning and training fighting dogs. He was sentenced to seven years in prison, which the Humane Society says is the toughest penalty ever in such a case. But Cerda's brutal methods are fairly typical among serious players. Aggressive puppies are singled out for training, which includes early sparring matches against weaker dogs. When they're ready to fight, the dogs go through four to six weeks of intense conditioning, known as "the keep." This entails special diets, running on treadmills or chasing bait animals, and clinging to suspended hides or inner tubes to strengthen jaw muscles. It's common for trainers to give dogs speed, steroids and codeine to boost performance. A few trainers withhold water on the theory that a dehydrated dog will bleed less.
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