Match Overview ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The primary authors/editors of this FAQ are MAC and Scott Bradwell. In addition, Mikel Bartol wrote or helped write several sections. This FAQ, however, is really the result of a collaborative effort. Others have contributed a great deal through discussing and debating the material contained in this document. These people are(in alphabetical order): Aaron Dial, Paul Dunkel, Bryan Hinkle, Tim Mason, Carl Semencic, and Geoff Wright. [WWIPITWITHFLAG.JPG (31764 bytes)] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Again, the authors wish to emphasize that by including this overview we are NOT promoting dog fighting. Matching two dogs in combat is illegal in all of the U.S. and a felony on most parts. This overview is the result of a post that was made to rpb and by reading some of the older works in the "References" section of this FAQ. Neither of the authors has fought dogs nor has either author seen an organized dog fight. We feel that this overview is accurate but it should be treated as hearsay as that is what it is. It is included here so that the reader can better understand just what the APBT is and what he has been traditionally bred for. This also gives a more accurate, balanced account of what the traditional pit match was really like. If you think you might be offended by the material written here, by all means, skip this section. You have been warned. In order to understand what happens in one of these contests one must first understand the origin of the dog and individuals who originally pit one dog against another. There is a lot of speculation on this issue but the overall consensus among 'professional' dog fighters is that it was a way to find out which dog was the toughest. Through out history, men have fought one another in caged contests, with gloves, without gloves, with rules, without rules, etc... The tough man was worshiped and to be emulated in the days when it was more accepted by society. So, how did they define tough? One aspect of being tough was gameness. Two men would duell it out and if one of them quit the dual was over. Even if the man who quit was physically stronger , he was not considered to be tougher. In other instances it was not only who was stronger physically ,but who was smarter and in yet others it was physical. So, we now have three components of a fight physical, mental and gameness, (or heart!) The heart is that intangible men worshiped back then, the gameness to never quit until there was nothing left. These men also expected the same of their dogs. The dog that would quit in a fight was no longer kept for breeding. As a result there was an evolution that took place where the dogs would continue to fight even while taking a beating. Now, gameness is not sufficient when faced with a stronger and larger opponent so other things began to evolve such as strength of bite, agility, and various other things like fighting style .. yes style. As men learned more and more they began to selectively breed for one characteristic over another to the point that only game, athletic, hard biting winners were bred. These dogs tended to be small since they were typically matched in buildings, basements etc...most ranged from as little as 25 pounds all the way up to 45 or 50 pounds. The reason for this was simple. It's easier to physically pick up a small dog in the heat of battle than a large one. So, what prevents the person who is handling the dog from being bitten? Well, that is part of the evolution and something else that I will explain in a moment. First let's examine being in a 16 by 16 foot square pit trying to grab a dog that is the middle of a major battle. What prevents the dog from biting the handler ? Well, it's because over the many many years breeders selectively bred only those dogs that would NOT bite the handler. But, there was something else they were doing and didn't know it. It had to do with the most fundamental instinct of all. The survival instinct. The old timers believed that a mean, vicious dog was never really game ! Period ! A man biter was put to death immediately. That is how strong their feelings were. To better understand this we need to examine the survival instinct as it applies to Wolves in the wild , and in order for that to happen we need a scenario that commonly occurs in the wild. Let's say that a pack of wolves has just killed a deer and is in the process of eating . Since the dogs are very hungry they just start tearing away at the carcass and eventually there will be a piece of meat that two males , (just for argument sake), will want. Well of course there will be a conflict when that happens, right ? The first thing one wolf will do is to start something called "threat display" by showing his teeth and raising the hair on his back to appear larger than he is. He might even growl to sound mean. This type of behavior is used so that he does not have to fight. The idea is intimidation first, then and only then will he actually fight . The reason for this is the ever present survival instincts . Being physically injured could potentially risk life itself , hence "threat display" You'll also notice that the fights that do happen are very short and almost never result in debilitating injuries. Again in the interest of surviving . All the slashing teeth, rearing up on the hind legs and so forth are variations on a theme. The aggressiveness is therefore considered threat display and as such is not, I repeat not a desirable trait when crafting a combat dog . Therefore, gameness and aggressiveness are not the same. A game dog does ..... NOT show his teeth. NOT raise up on his hind legs. NOT growl or make any noise other than maybe screaming or whimpering due to the intense desire for physical contact. NOT show aggressiveness towards humans as this is yet again a manifestation of THREAT display. So, for people to say that these dogs are people aggressive simply because they have seen action in the pit is not because they are stupid, just uninformed. THE PIT CONTEST: Now we're ready for what really happens in the pit. Let's examine the dimensions first . A pit is typically 16 feet by 16 feet square and about 2 1/2 to 3 feet high. The floor is usually a thick carpet and the walls are made of wood. In the real world of TOP dog fighters there are only a handful of individuals at one of these matches. There is a referee, a second for each dog, a handler for each dog and a time keeper. There is a "scratch" line drawn diagonally from one neutral corner of the pit to the other. A dog must cross that line to complete his scratch. There is normally a ten second time limit from the time a dog is released until it crosses the scratch line. If he does not cross the line in the allotted time then the other dog is declared the winner. HOW A MATCH BEGINS: At the beginning of the match, both dogs are faced into their respective corners by their handlers until the referee , also in the pit asks the contestants to face their dogs. At that time the two handlers turn 180 degrees and face each other. When that happens the dogs get sight of one another and start to get pretty excited. They both usually start trying to get away in order to go after the other dog . The referee asks the handlers to release their dogs and the match has begun. To the uninitiated it's a bit strange because once the dogs make contact in the middle of the pit there is almost not noise at all . No growling, no raised hair, no snapping . Just each dog trying to get a hold on the other . One might grab an ear or a shoulder and try to wrestle the opponent to the ground . Then, the dominant dog will shake his head to try and punish the other dog . As the match progresses, with only the sounds of breathing, the dogs will swap holds (i.e., take turns grabbing each other). THE TURN: At some point in the match one of the dogs might have second thoughts about wanting to be there so will show some signs of this by doing certain things. One of those things that we look for is the tail tucking. A sure fire sign that a dog is thinking of not continuing. The most subtle sign but more reliable is when a dog physically turns his head and shoulders away from his opponent during combat. This is called a turn. It is up to the handler of the other dog to point it out to the referee. When that has been done the referee announces to the handlers that a turn has been called and that they should handle their dogs at the first opportunity. This opportunity comes when both dogs are not in hold (i.e. biting each other). This is when each handler in unison will grab his dog by the nap of the neck and put a hand under the stifle area to pick his dog up. Each handler then returns to their respective corners, much like boxing. they must each face their dogs into the corner for 25 seconds and then upon hearing the referee say face your dogs, turn and face their dogs. The dog that turns first, must scratch first. So, the handler of the dog that was called for the turn must then release his dog first. THE SCRATCH: Okay, the dog that turned first must now go across the scratch line to prove that he still wants to dominate. If he doesn't cross the line in 10 seconds then he loses and the opponent is declared the winner. This is more often than not. Or, the losing dog will be too tired to complete the scratch on time. Again, this terminates the match. If a handler were to try to physically make his dog cross the line then again the match is over and the handler is called for a foul. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SOME PEOPLE STILL DO THIS TO THEIR DOG`S One thing is for sure , my dog«s are my pet«s , and my pet«s are my best friends.And i would never do this to my best friend !! would you ? Here are some articles from not so long ago !! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Nine face dogfighting charges; animals likely face death Officials in Newaygo County said Saturday night's raid was unintentional. Tuesday, September 16, 1997 By Doug Guthrie CHRONICLE NEWS SERVICE ------------------------------------------------------------------------ WHITE CLOUD - Officer Phil Edgerton smiled Monday when one of the bloodied pit bulls in a cage at Newaygo County Animal Control ate a dog biscuit. It was the first food the animal had consumed since being rescued by police during Saturday night's raid of an alleged dogfight operation. Although the lean and heavily scarred killer had begun to warm up to his new keepers, a pit bull in the next cage growled long and low. "What's the matter," Edgerton asked the growling dog in a soothing voice. "Nobody's going to beat you. Nobody's ever going to make you fight again." Across town, nine men, most of them from the Flint area, were arraigned in Newaygo County District Court on felony charges of engaging in dogfighting. The animal abuse charge carries a possible term of up to four years in prison. A 36-year-old Newaygo man, Steven Chris Lima, also was charged with running the fight ring inside a shed on secluded property near the Newaygo/Mecosta county line. Others charged Monday included Jesse James Miller Jr., 25, of 727 Prospect in Grand Rapids and Scott Alan Suttorp, 32, of 2221 22 Mile Road, Bailey. The others were from the east side of the state. Although police said Monday they had long heard rumors about gatherings for gambling on dogfights in the area, the raid had been unintentional. Two troopers had gone to the place on Newcosta Avenue to investigate a complaint about a noisy party and barking dogs. When officers knocked, 30 to 40 people bailed out doors and windows and from a nearby shed. Many, including several women, fled into nearby woods. One man was said to have disappeared into the darkness with a dog on a leash. Police managed to round up 13 men. Four were released on bond on Sunday and ordered to return Thursday for arraignment. All of the suspects are expected to face preliminary hearings by Sept. 25. Police seized $2,900 in cash and nine vehicles left behind by the fleeing suspects. "With that many people in there, I'm sure the (betting) money was flowing freely," said Lt. Gary VanderKooi, commander of the Newaygo State Police post. Inside the shed, police found a makeshift fighting ring that was splattered with blood. Sharpened axe handles, which officials said had been used to prod the fighting animals, lay beside the ring. One dog found near death in the fighting ring was put out of its misery with a single shot from a police officer's handgun. "The stench of blood and dog sweat was unbelievable in there," said Animal Control Officer Ron Kemp. "I don't know how anyone could think of that as entertainment." VanderKooi said the man believed to have masterminded the operation is believed to have escaped. He said a full report will be forwarded to organized crime and gambling investigators in Lansing. "I suspect they are going to be very interested in this," VanderKooi said. "This is an ongoing investigation." Edgerton and Kemp returned to the scene Monday night with Troopers Gary Wilson and Ron Nelson and a warrant issued by the court to remove three more pit bulls from a nearby kennel. The officers left three other dogs behind which they were told belonged to another man. Nelson said the owner of the other dogs claimed he knew nothing of the fighting operation, and Nelson said his dogs showed no fight scars which were obvious on the other animals. Edgerton said the pit bulls will be held in the county shelter until he is told by the court what he should do with them. "I could never adopt one of these out. It would just be too dangerous," he said. Kemp added, "They are true athletes in the cruelest sense of the word. It's never the animal's fault, but we probably will eventually have to destroy them." ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Eleven charged in pit bull dogfighting The Morrow County sheriff canceled the commission of a special deputy involved with the fights. By Frank Hinchey Dispatch Assistant State Editor Feb. 10, 1998 [dogfight0210.gif (4821 bytes)] MOUNT GILEAD, Ohio -- A Morrow County special deputy sheriff was among 11 people charged yesterday in a dogfighting investigation involving pit bulls. Nancy Martin, 21, of Mount Gilead was charged in Morrow County Court with one count of dogfighting. She posted $500 bond and was released from jail. Sheriff Tom E. Hardin said Martin was off duty Saturday when she was taken into custody with others at 2725 County Road 26, where deputies had responded to a complaint of dogfighting at the residence. Hardin said he canceled Martin's commission as a special deputy Sunday after her arrest. "She was sworn to uphold the law, not violate it," Harden said. "It's an embarrassment to me and my department to have an officer arrested in something like this." A special deputy is an auxiliary, unpaid officer who undergoes peace officer training, has arrest powers and performs special duties at the direction of the sheriff, such as traffic or crowd control. Martin and six others were charged with dogfighting, which is a fifth-degree felony that carries a maximum jail term of one year and a $2,500 fine. Deputies made the arrests Saturday night at the residence of Bonnie R. Yoho, 34, about 2 miles north of Marengo. When deputies arrived, they found Martin coming out of the barn with blood on her hands, pants and shoes, Hardin said. She called to Yoho, who let deputies inside a barn, where they found eight men, some with blood on them, and an arena with blood-spattered walls. Four injured and bleeding pit bulls were found in portable cages, and three other pit bulls with severe injuries were found in horse stalls in the barn. Twelve pit bulls were treated for injuries and taken to the Morrow County dog pound. Deputies also seized several pieces of equipment, including exercise tread mills used by the dogs, an electric cord used to shock dogs and about $4,500. Yoho was charged with dogfighting and training a dog for dogfighting. Sheriff's Sgt. Richard Braddock said Yoho breeds pit bulls at the residence. County Prosecutor Howard Hall said he would convene a special session of the regular grand jury to review evidence in the case. "These (allegations) are shocking to me," Hall said yesterday. "Obviously, it's as cruel as you can get to put them one against the other, if that is what the evidence shows. "Fortunately, we did not have any people hurt," Hall said. Others charged with dogfighting are: Richard B. Mattox, 27, Bluefield, Mich. * Orlando R. Mendoza, 24, of Lorain, Ohio. * James E. Wright, 41, of Orient, Ohio; Madan O. Reid, 24, of West Mifflin, Pa.; and Keith M. Meade, 27, of Clairton, Pa. They also were charged with tampering with evidence. Arthur C. McCall, 22, of Elyria, Ohio, and Brian J. Pearson, 20, of McKeesport, Pa., were charged with purchasing tickets to attend a dogfight. Elliot Shelton, 25, of Elyria was charged with attending a dogfight. And William N. Johnson, 31, of Marengo was charged with tampering with evidence. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ HOME STANDARD TRAINING GAMENESS ICQ LIST RULES B-STICK«s MY DOGS APBT LINKS BOB RIOT BOOKS ONLINE HISTORY CHAT MESSAGE BOARD FRIENDS DOGS ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [backlil.gif (8828 bytes)]