Although Illegal, Dog Fighting Continues in D.C.

WASHINGTON -- They are bred for their brawn, and bragged about in magazines and on Web sites.

They are raised with little direct human contact and are often kept in chains, stashed in abandoned buildings, and then forced to fight to the death.

"They" are man's best friend. Dogs. In most cases, those that come under the catch-all term "pit bulls."

The news that Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick could be facing indictment in connection with allegations he allowed dog fighting on his Virginia property has put the spotlight on the issue.

Dog fighting is a felony in 48 states and the District of Columbia.

But experts in the animal welfare field say just because dog fighting is illegal, it doesn't mean it doesn't go on. It does. Every day.

"A group of guys will meet up with their dogs in a field--it often happens in fields, or in school yards at night, alleyway-- and will fight their dogs," says Adam Parascandola, who works at the Washington Humane Society.

Parascandola has seen it firsthand. He's worked as a Humane Law Enforcement Officer for the Washington Humane Society. Speaking in the office of the Humane Society, where he's now chief of programs, he described breaking up dog fights.

In one instance, a police officer stumbled across a dogfight, chased down one of the leaders, and called for backup. Most of the dog owners had scattered, one man was arrested, but two dogs never stopped fighting.

"It took us about 15 to 20 minutes to get to the address, there were probably a dozen police cars, they had all their headlights and flashlights on these two dogs...and the dogs were completely unaware that these people were around," Parascandola says.

"They just continued their fighting until we stepped in to break it up physically and they looked up very startled.They get so focused they aren't even aware of what's going on around them and they just continue to fight."

Parascandola says animal control officers have had to equip themselves with the same tools used by dog fighters to stop a fight: they call them "break sticks."

"Sometimes you can get [the dogs] broken up without it, but often if the dog is really, if they're really grabbed on to each other and in the middle of the fight, you have to literally pry their jaws open," he says.

As bizarre as it may seem, Parascandola says the owners of these fighting dogs see nothing with the practice.

"They claim they love their dogs," he says. "They say that this is what they're bred for...and that the dogs enjoy fighting."

The dogs are encouraged to fight to the death -- or close to it. For the dogs who lose, a life of brutality becomes even more cruel.

In one case, two fighting dogs were rescued from an apartment in Northeast D.C.

"One, a male, was in pretty good shape," Parascandola says.

But the other, a female, was a different story.

"Almost every single inch of her body was scarred up," Parascandola says. "She had growths coming out of each of these scars. She was emaciated. She was basically kept to be essentially a punching bag for the dogs that they were training."

Even when rescued, too many of the dogs are so dog or human aggressive, they can't be adopted.

Parascandola says besides the cruelty to the dogs, the fighting has a negative effect on an entire community. Often, dog fighters are involved in other illegal activities, and children are exposed to the violence of the dog fights.

"Kids as young as 5 and 6 years old--they've all seen dog fighting because they're there in the neighborhood and it's going on right behind their houses, in the same fields and play areas that they go to," he says.

How does Parascandola handle the brutality he witnesses on the job?

"I try to focus on the positive aspects: when we make can make an arrest, when we at least get the animals away -- away from the people," he says. "And I've seen a difference over time. We've reduced the amount of dog fighting that occurs in the District."

A number of dogs are waiting for adoption at the WHS shelter.

Among them is Chew-Chew, a young dog with a curious bright-eyed expression who sits on command, and has a habit of slathering humans with kisses, something he did with gusto when Parascandola paid him a visit.

(Copyright 2007 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)