New Trend in Dog Fighting: "Trunking"

It is hard to imagine that dog fighting could get worse or more inhumane, but it now has.  I guess as the saying goes "where there is a will, there is a way" rings true here, no matter how disgusting the will is.  As the article from Dogster below describes, "Trunking" is a new trend in dog fighting.  "Trunking" is where two dogs are put in the trunk of a car to fight to the death and driven around for 10 -15 minutes until the fighting stops.  All the while loud music is being played so no one can here the sounds of the dogs.  When they stop, the dead dog is thrown out and the "winner" continues to fight again.  Just typing that makes my stomach turn and my head explode with anger.  The full story is below.

A new dog-fighting trend is so savage and inhumane it's almost hard to comprehend. It's called "trunking." Dahlia Canes of Miami Coalition Against Breed Specific Legislation explains it: 

"They put the dogs in the trunk [of a car], lock it up, and they [drive] around, put the music on very, very loud so no one can hear it," she said, according to ClickOnDetroit.com. "After 10 or 15 minutes, they stop. The dead dog they throw out, and the winner keeps going."

You read that right: They put two dogs in the trunk of a car, blast the music, drive around as the dogs fight, and then when the shrieking and yelping finally stops, they pull over and throw out the dead dog.

The winner gets to fight again. 

It almost sounds like an urban myth, but it's very true: Workers at Miami-Dade Animal Services Department in Florida confirm it, saying they've seen many cases.

One came last week, when a good samaritan tipped the agency off to a man suspected of being involved in trunking. The tipster said that he'd seen the man repeatedly throw dogs into the trunks of cars to fight. Authorities responded and found five adults and four puppies in terrible condition at the man's home.

(Receiving care at animal services. )

"The kennels did not have any water, food, or adequate shelter," said Luis Salgado with Miami-Dade County Animal Services. "They were in feces and urine, so the conditions were pretty bad."

They were also covered in scars, open wounds, and teeth marks.

 

"There are puncture wounds," said Salgado. "One of the dogs had a broken wrist, an injured eye. One of the dogs is just bit up all over the place and [has] open wounds on his face." 

Authorities haven't found the owner, but he'll face felony charges when they do. As for the dogs, the department is trying to get custody so the animals can be adopted or sent to a rescue group. 

The dogs are doing well mentally, and they are very friendly with veterinarians and staff. One dog happily wagged his tail when two staff members held him tightly, even though a vet was scrubbing his wounds.

Surprsingly, only one of the dogs has been identified as a Pit Bull. Miami-Dade banned Pit Bulls 23 years ago, and the ban was upheld by voters last year. That dog will have to be adopted by someone outside of the state. Let's hope they all find good homes.

It brings me great sadness to have to post something like this.  But knowledge is power.  Now that we know this is happening, keep your eyes open and if you see this or even suspect it, it is worth a call to the authorities.  Dog fighting rings are going to continue, they think they can out-wit all of us that are against it, but if we band together and we all work for the common goal to outlaw and stop this cruelty and torturing of innocent dogs, we will beat them.   They may go to jail, they may lose massive amounts of money, but the only ones losing here are the dogs.  Even if they live, some may never be rehabilitated and if they can be, they live with these scars (physically and mentally) for life.