Dog Fighting History

Dog Fighting

History

                    Fights between two or

A dogfight, c. 1785

more animals have always been popular spectacles. The Romans, the Greeks, Spanish, as well as French have pitted dogs  against other animals, dating back hundreds or thousands of years. So when the British people began selectively breeding the popular old-time bulldog for use in dog-on-dog combat, they couldn't take credit for having been the first to pit one animal against another. (It seems the bloodlust of humans extends across time and the globe!)

                   The dogs that were used in these British dog fights became known as the American Pit Bull Terrier.

                    The original, old-time bulldog was used for all manner of stock-related work, particularly as a catch dog: used by the butcher to manage unruly bulls,  and by the hunter for help in catching and holding wild boar and other  game. The sport of bull baiting became popular in England, having arisen from  these functional jobs that the bulldog performed for humans.  

                     Baiting was extremely popular and nearly a national past time. At one point, there was even a law mandating that the flesh of a bull could only be sold if the animal had  been baited prior to slaughter. But the baiting of animals was  eventually outlawed due to the increasingly loud voices of opposition.

                   And so humans--with their insatiable lust for blood and violence-- turned to the sport of dog-on-dog fighting.

A turn-up between a dog and Jacco Macacco,
 the fighting monkey, 1822

                   The bulldog, mixed with tough hunting terriers, was created to be used in this emerging ‘sport’. Selectively bred down to a smaller size to increase agility in the pit, these dogs were also bred for stamina and wrestling ability. However, the most important trait in the fighting dog was gameness. Gameness--the willingness to keep going and not give up--is a trait common to breeds of bulldog ancestry. It may also be described as that plucky, never-say-die attitude seen in terriers. Lastly, the fighting dog had to be easily handled by humans, and so any aggression shown towards people was carefully selected against.
                     These dogs were eventually to become known as the “Pit Bulldog” or “Pit Bull Terrier”, the precursors to our modern  APBT.

                    Pit Bulldogs (the new bulldog/terrier fighting dogs)were imported to America around the time of the Civil War, and they gained great popularity over the years. The dogs were not only the fighting dog of choice, but they were also surprisingly popular with the general public who embraced the breed wholeheartedly.

                   Viewing art and old photographs from the early to mid 1900’s, you can see that the Pit Bulldog was viewed as a valuable part of American culture.  Back then, the breed was known as a sound family companion, and a dog that was great with kids—despite the fact that it was also a fighting breed.

                   In the realm of the American dogman, dog fights provided betting opportunities, entertainment, and also served as a means to establish and then preserve a specific type of dog--the American Pit Bull Terrier (aka “Pit Bull”). In 1898 the United Kennel Club was formed in order to preserve the breed, establish a stud book, and create rules for the pit. UKC founder CZ Bennet officially named the breed: American Pit Bull Terrier. Through dog fights, breeders could identify certain traits in a dog and  then breed that dog that manifested the sought-after traits. Besides gameness, a  very stable, sound dog was extremely important. Aggression towards humans was not tolerated. Through this type of careful selection, the Pit Bull breed was refined. (Please see Pit Bull History for more information about the development of the breed.)

                  Dog fighting continued on into the 1900s, although it began to lose favor after the turn of the century. Throughout the 1900’s, dog fighting would gradually lose ground. The fighting amendment added to the Animal Welfare Act in 1976 helped propel stricter laws (and to push dog fighting underground where it unfortunately still flourishes). It was eventually outlawed as a felony all across America.


Dog Fighting Today -
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'Blood Sports': European Dog Fighting History

European history

A dogfight, c. 1785

        Blood sports in general can be traced back to the Roman Empire. In 13 B.C., for instance, the ancient Roman circus slew 600 African beasts. Likewise, under Emperor Claudius's reign, as spectators cheered, 300 bears and 300 Libyan beasts were slain in the Colosseum. Dog fighting, more specifically, can also be traced to ancient Roman times. In 43 AD, for example, dogs fought alongside the Romans and the British in the Roman Conquest of Britain. In this war, the Romans used a breed that originated from Greece called Molossus; the Britons used broad-mouth Mastiffs, which were thought to descend from the Molossus bloodline and which also originated from Greece. Though the British were outnumbered and ultimately lost this war, the Romans were so impressed with the English Mastiffs that they began to import these dogs for use in the Colosseum, as well as for use in times of war. While spectators watched, the imported English Mastiffs were pitted against animals such as wild elephants, lions, bears, bulls, and gladiators.

               Later, the Romans bred and exported fighting dogs to Spain, France and other parts of Europe until eventually these dogs made their way back to England. Though bull baiting and bear baiting were popular throughout the Middle Ages up to the 19th century in Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands, the British pitted dogs against bulls and bears on a scale like no other. In 12th century England during the feudal era, the landed aristocracy, who held direct military control in decentralized feudal systems and thus owned the animals necessary for waging war, introduced bull baiting and bear baiting to the rest of the British population. In later years, bull baiting and bear baiting became a popular source of entertainment for the British royalty. For instance, Queen Elizabeth I, who reigned from 1558-1603, was an avid follower of bull and bear baiting; she bred Mastiffs for baiting and would entertain foreign guests with a fight whenever they visited England. In addition to breeding Mastiffs and entertaining foreign guests with a fight, Queen Elizabeth, and later her successor, King James I, built a number of bear gardens in London. The garden buildings were round and roofless, and housed not only bears, but also bulls and other wild animals that could be used in a fight. Today, a person can visit the Bear Garden museum near the Shakespeare Global Complex in Bankside, Southwark.

             

English Mastiff

             With the popularity of bull and bear baiting, bears needed for such fights soon became scarce. With the scarcity of bear population, the price of bears rose and, because of this, bull baiting became more common in England over time. Bulls who survived the fights were slaughtered afterwards for their meat, as it was believed that the fight caused bull meat to become more tender. In fact, if a bull was offered for sale in the market without having been baited the previous day, butchers were liable to face substantial fines. Animal fights were temporarily suspended in England when Oliver Cromwell seized power, but were reinstated again after the Restoration. Dog fighting, bear baiting, and bull baiting were officially outlawed in England by the Humane Act of 1835. The official ban on all fights, however, actually served to promote dog fighting in England. Since a small amount of space was required for the pit where a dog fight took place, as compared to the ring needed for bull or bear baiting, authorities had a difficult time enforcing the ban on dog fighting.


 List of European Countries -

     Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, U.K, England, United Kingdom, Vatican City (Holy See).