There is more to the disappearance of a dog and any large dog that may be used for dog fighting is at risk if its owners are not vigilant.
This says Linsey Rautenbach, the Springs representative of the Pit Bull Federation of South Africa.
Lisa Fawkes, a volunteer of the organisation Ban Animal Trading South Africa, adds that the stealing of a dog is mostly for purpose of dog fighting.
Both women are actively involved in rescuing dogs in the Springs area, but are not involved in the investigations.
“We hand everything and all evidence over to the NSPCA because investigations are their responsibility,” they say.
They explain that the dog fighting is often linked to many types of crimes, of which the stealing of a dog is one.
Huge amounts of money are often involved, only to sacrifice a dog’s life.
They explain the different types of dog fighting, which involves dogs like American pit bull terriers, staffies, boerboel crosses, bull terriers or crossbreeds between rottweilers and pit bulls.
The lower or entry level of dog fighting is street level dog fights.
This dog fighting happens in open pieces of land and the dogs fight until one dog dies.
Linsey and Lisa say these dog fighters don’t have access to a veterinarian and the injured dogs are left behind when they leave the fighting ground.
They find many of these injured animals and they have to be put down in most cases.
The second type of dog fighting is the backyard dog fights.
Other types of dog fighting are more organised and take place anywhere.
There are both professionals and novices that breed dogs to fight.
The women say the world of professional dog fighters is a highly secretive one where many crimes happen behind the walls of suburban homes, on plots or on farms.
Linsey and Lisa say they are horrified by websites and magazines that advertise dogs for free, because these smaller dogs are used to teach the fighter dogs techniques for their big fights.
The two women say there is an overpopulation of dogs in the world.
To curb this problem they advise dog owners to neuter or spay their dogs.
In addition to this overpopulation, the inbreeding of dogs is a another problem because it causes temperament difficulties as well as health issues in these dogs.
They say having a fighter dog as a pet is a lifestyle and they become part of your household, therefore it is vital to protect your dogs against being stolen.
“Keeping them out of sight is the best way,” they say.
Have them in a special place in your backyard or in a crate inside your house when you are going out.
They also say to never give your address to anyone who might want to know if you have a dog.
Owners can also microchip their dogs because this is the only proof you have that it belongs to you.
They warn never to “advertise” your dog and its pedigree on social media.
They also say if you come across a dog fighting event you should immediately phone the police or the NSPCA, because as soon as they remove the animals, the evidence is also removed.
