Young people and men who urge on their animals to bite, scratch and sometimes kill other dogs are be hated by animal lovers.
Yet to watch them as they feed and groom their dogs, and then gently tend their gashes and bites after the fights, is to see something deeply touching.
Dog owner Tshepo Moleko said his dog ‘Baxter’ is a stocky, muscled, mainly white pit-bull who carries the scars of previous battles all over his body.
“Baxter just came out of a bloody encounter with Cable, an equally powerful black and white dog.
“My dog’s hair is spotted with its own blood of its own and that of his opponent.
“Minutes earlier he was a killer in a thrashing and brutal contest, but now he is calm, soothed by the hands he trusts cleaning out his wounds,” he said.
Moleko said it is not good for dogs to fight because they end up dying or getting badly bitten.
Another Pitt-bull owner Thabo Kgaolahloe said he baths his dog right after the fight, if he does not do this as soon as possible it will get infections and he does not want his dog to get sick.
“When I enter this illegal world, clearly some of them feel I am a threat.
“I have to assure them I will be discreet because, as they put it, old people tend to call the police when they witness these fights.
“The fights happen mostly during the day and I get calls at short notice.
“The clashes normally do not take long and they disperse quickly, leaving those in the fight area none the wiser,” he said.
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) public relations education officer Pat Zulu said dog fighting is illegal in South Africa.
“If people are found fighting their dogs they will be arrested and fined R2 500 or they will serve two years six months imprisonment.
“The dogs will be taken and put in a place of safety depending on the injuries the dogs obtained during the fight.
“If we find out that the dog is badly injured, we take it for recovery and give it to the people who want to adopt them.
“Even the onlookers will be arrested because they will be promoting animal cruelty rather than reporting the matter to the police,” she said.
Zulu said it is difficult to catch dog fighters because there is a syndicate that watches every move that the SAPS does and they are also the organiser of the fights.
“Fighting dogs become vicious and they no longer feel the pain. They also attack whatever comes their way because they have been bitten thousands times.
“We urge people to report such incidents in their communities to keep the animals since domestic animals since they are the human best friends,” she said.
SPCA can be reached at 083 600 5943
