There are more than 30 organised dog fighting incidents happening in Wales and England every month in 2023, a leading animal welfare charity has said. The RSPCA has revealed that it has investigated 1,156 incidents of organised dog fighting since 2019, and the charity has said the figures are increasing starkly.
Wales as a whole features in the top five locations for dog fighting incidents, with 55 known incidents since 2019. London has seen the most organised dog fighting incidents with 91 in the last four years. Across Wales and England there were 355 incidents last year, up from 232 in 2021. So far this year the charity has already dealt with 155 cases.
The dogs used are selected based on their inherited aggressiveness to fight instinctively and are pitted against each other with the aim of inflicting as much pain and damage as possible. Most dogs used for fighting will ultimately either be killed in the ring, die as a result of their injuries or in some cases will be killed by their owners. You can get more story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
Read more: 'Nobody has learned from my son's death' - says mum of boy who was mauled to death by dog
A leading expert in prevention of dog fighting, which has been illegal in Wales and England since 1835, said the issue was “rife”. Ian Muttitt works with the RSPCA's special operations unit which is made up of a team of investigators who are trained in monitoring and uncovering organised animal cruelty.
On the latest figures, Mr Muttitt said: “Across England and Wales we were seeing an average of 19 incidents investigated every month in 2019 and that has risen to a shocking 31-a-month so far this year. Last year in Wales there was also a notable increase in dog fighting incidents. It’s staggering that something which has been illegal for almost 200 years and which most people would consider consigned to history is still so rife.”
Caerphilly borough has seen the most incidents of organised dog fighting jointly dealt with by the RSPCA and the police since 2019, with nine in total - followed by Swansea and Rhondda Cynon Taf with six. The figures only show incidents that have been dealt with. Mr Muttitt pointed out that organised dog fighting was a "dark and secretive" illegal business.
Penyrheol in Caerphilly borough found itself at the centre of a story around irresponsible breeding and training of dogs by unscrupulous owners last year following the deaths of Jack Lis and Shirley Patrick. You can read more on that here.
Mr Muttitt said the charity’s new figures suggested that animal cruelty and organised dog fighting happened more in the summer months, amounting to one call every hour. “Around this time of year, nationally, we receive a report of an animal being beaten on average every hour of every day,” he explained. “We don’t know why reports of animal cruelty peak in the summer months, although things like animal abuse being more visible as people are outdoors more and the cost of living crisis could be major factors.”
He asked for the public to help the charity in weeding out culprits. “The dog fighting world is a dark and secretive place,” he added. “It could be happening in an inner-city warehouse next door to your office or on a rural farm in your quiet village.
“Signs of dog fighting can vary but if you see a dog with lots of scars on its face, front legs, hind legs and thighs, or with puncture wounds and mangled ears - this could be a sign of dog fighting and should be reported to the RSPCA or the police. Other suspicious activity includes dogs being hidden away in outbuildings or kennels and not exercised in public. Dogs who fight are prized but those who refuse to fight or lose are often abandoned or killed.”
You can read more about the RSPCA’s Cancel Out Cruelty campaign in Wales and England here.
