Dog Fighting

Fort Worth enforcement agencies are proactive in their approach to combating dog fighting by aggressively following up on any suspected activity.

The Humane Society of the United States estimates that more than 40,000 people participate in organized dogfighting in the U.S., and hundreds of thousands more take part in impromptu street dogfighting.

Signs of dog fighting

• Many dogfighters keep pit bulls.
• Many times dogs will be on heavy logging chains, sometimes with padlocks.
• Fighting scars can be found on the face, front legs, hind ends and thighs. Puncture wounds, swollen faces and mangled ears are also telltale signs of fighting.

How to recognize dog training equipment

• Fight-dog training requires strength. Notice dogs with weights on their collars.
• Jaw-strengthening exercise involves tires or other items suspended from trees or pipes.
• Treadmill exercise conditions dogs and a treadmill-like device called a “cat mill” confines a cat or other “bait” for dogs to chase.

How to report dog fighting

• If you witness a dog fight in progress, call 911 immediately.
• If you suspect dog fighting activities, dogs that are in danger, neglected or abused, submit an online report to Fort Worth Animal Care & Control or call 817-392-1234.