Dog Fighting: Raising Awareness to the Issue
According to the ASPCA, dog fighting arrests in the United States have numbered in the thousands between 2003 and 2008. There are certainly many more cases that are never discovered. The types of people involved in dog fighting or those who participate in the audience are a diverse group not limited to urban settings. Other illegal crimes that are associated with dog fighting include but are not limited to drug, alcohol, money laundering, and weapon violations. Aside from the criminal aspects, the toll that the fighting takes on the animals involved is nothing less than horrendous. Rehabilitation is expensive and difficult and many dogs must be euthanized as a result. Along with the felony charges that New Jersey holds for the crime of dog fighting, it should also include the penalty of being required in a registry. This registration process could be a law that is modeled after Megan’s Law where sexual offenders must register in the area in which they reside. Our idea has been sent to two senators from the state of New Jersey in order to complete our service project.
Dog Fighting Detailed Discussion
Detailed Discussion Table of
Dogfighting: Symbolic Expression and Validation of Masculinity
This study examines the issue of masculinity indogfighting. Dogfighting is an illegal gaming sportcentered in the Southern United States. The data for thisstudy were obtained via ethnographic fieldwork over a period of two years. Interviews wereconducted with 31 dogmen, approximately 90% of whom werewhite males. In addition the authors attended 14dogfights and numerous pre-fight meetings. We argue that specific elements of this sport representsymbolic attempts at attaining and maintaining honor andstatus, which, in the (predominantly white, male,working-class) dogfighting subculture, are equated with masculine identity. We further argue thatpursuit of symbolic masculinity through dogfighting ismore important to working-class men, who possess feweralternative avenues for achieving status than do middle-class or professional men. Theimplications of this research for the larger culture ofmasculinity in the United States are alsoexplored.