The involvement of high-profile sports celebrities has made dogfighting newsworthy of late. Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick is currently under investigation, although no charges have been filed yet. Vick claims that he knew nothing about illegal dog fighting at his property in Virginia. According to an ESPN article, Vick’s house there was raided April 25, and authorities found “66 dogs (most of which were pitbulls), a dog-fighting pit, bloodstained carpets and equipment commonly associated with dogfighting.” The dogs were reportedly malnourished and neglected.

The popularity of breeding aggressiveness into dogs such as American Pitbull Terriers, which are commonly used in dogfighting, has led to some localities enacting breed bans. These measures prohibit people from owning certain breeds of dogs, even as companion animals. In some communities, it is difficult to even rent a home or get homeowners insurance if you live with certain breeds of dogs. In addition to pitbulls, the breed bans also target dogs such as Rottweilers, German Shepherds, Doberman Pinschers, and others.

Dogfighting is deplorable and deserves to be outlawed. However, breed bans are not an effective way to address what is essentially also a human problem. It is people who are irresponsibly breeding and training animals and who treat them inappropriately. Unfortunately, it is much more difficult to legislate human behavior than it is to ban property (animals are considered property under the law). This is one reason why these breed-specific bans have successfully started to take hold.

If you learn about the existence of dogfighting activities in your community, report it to the local law enforcement and animal control agencies. If you are afraid of retaliation, remember that reporting animal cruelty can be done anonymously. If your community is considering banning certain breeds of dogs, learn all you can about the issue and get involved to stop this discriminatory and ineffective practice. The Humane Society of the United States has more information about dogfighting and breed-specific bans.