9/24/09

Putting an end to dogfighting

ASPCA

Show Description:
For the first half of Everything Animal Catherine welcomes back Carl David who acted as her guest host during her absence two weeks ago. Catherine and Carl continue the discussion about energy healing on our pets and explore how anyone can use this technique to rebalance and heal their beloved animals.

For the second half of this show, Catherine welcomes Dr. Randall Lockwood, Senior Vice President of the ASPCA Anti-Cruelty Field Services.

For more than a century, humans have deliberately pitted dog-aggressive dogs who will instinctively give their all in staged fights against one another. Why are animal welfare advocates no closer to ending this brutal bloodsport?
Since the 1800's, dog fighting has attracted the attention and admiration of royalty, politicians, doctors, farmers and police officers, as well as the wrath of animal protectionists, who have fought hard to end it. Yet achieving a better understanding of this bloodsport, rather than simply condemning it, must precede any real effort at wiping it out.
Humane societies and law enforcement officials have been fighting long and hard to put an end to dog fighting, but even after raids, arrests and jail time, people who fight are back in the ring. The humane movement needs to step back and take a better look at the social structure of dog fighting. It will be necessary to replace the self-esteem it provides its participants with other means for positive, life-affirming opportunities. To do this, experts in gangs, drug abuse, poverty, education and psychology, as well as law enforcement, are needed to understand and combat dog fighting at each level. Preventing today's youthful spectators from becoming tomorrow's dog fighters is the challenge the humane community faces for the future.

Dr. Randall Lockwood joined the ASPCA in 2005 after working for over 20 years with the Humane Society of the United States. Dr. Lockwood has a doctorate of pyschology from Washington University in St. Louis. For more than 25 years Dr. Lockwood has worked with humane societies and law-enforcement agencies, serving as an expert on the interactions between people and animals. He has testified in numerous trials involving cruelty to animals or the treatment of animals in context of other crimes, including dog fighting, child abuse, domestic violence and homicide. His efforts to increase public and professional awareness of the connection between animal abuse and other forms of violence were profiled in an award-winning 1999 British Broadcast Corporation/Arts & Entertainment Network documentary entitled "The Cruelty Connection."

http://www.aspca.org

Guest Bio:
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) was the first humane society to be established in North America and is, today, one of the largest in the world. Our organization was founded by Henry Bergh in 1866 on the belief that animals are entitled to kind and respectful treatment at the hands of humans, and must be protected under the law. Headquartered in New York City, the ASPCA maintains a strong local presence, and with programs that extend our anti-cruelty mission across the country, we are recognized as a national animal welfare organization. We are a privately funded 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, and proud to boast more than 1 million supporters across the country.