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How we can Stop Dogfighting.

In the Buddhist tradition I was brought up in, horrific, horrible images like the above—that show suffering and the horrible results of our craving, aggression and ignorance—are considered important not to shove away but to hold up and look at, and feel.

Let’s do Tonglen for those helpless victims of our confusion, such as Gypsy, and for those we might hate (Michael Vick), to start. But we can do much more. Click here to learn more about dog fighting, and what you and I can easily do to help stop it.

From PETA:

What You Can Do
Federal law bans interstate commerce import and export of fighting dogs, and the penalty is three years in jail with a $250,000 fine.(22) But as a Texas sheriff remarked, “If you don’t know it’s going on, there’s not a whole lot you can do. It’s organized crime.” Officials often stumble across dogfighting operations accidentally while searching property for other reasons. For instance, in 2007, authorities were searching Michael Vick’s property in rural Virginia for suspected drug activity when they discovered dogs who were tied to car axles with logging chains as well as dogfighting equipment, including treadmills, chains, whips, and injectable drugs.(23)

Dogs raised for fighting are usually chained (or “tethered”), which is a safety hazard for the dogs and the community. A study published in Pediatrics magazine reported that “[b]iting dogs were significantly more likely … to be chained” and nearly three times as likely to attack than dogs who were not tethered.(24) While many cities and counties have addressed this cruel and dangerous practice in an effort to prevent tragedies from striking near home, others consider such legislation only after chained dogs maul children in their areas. For more information on how you can get your community to enact an ordinance that bans or at least restricts tethering, please visit HelpingAnimals.com.

If you suspect that dogfighting is happening in your neighborhood, contact local law enforcement authorities.

I ran across the above photo on the FB page of Lisa Shapiro.

Click the below image for my earlier article, “What a Cage-free Michael Vick says about our America.”