Hundreds of dogs every year are still bred and forced to take part in illegal fights across the UK, animal welfare charity RSPCA said. In 2018 alone, the charity dealt with 1,583 cases, with Greater London being the area counting most reports of illegal dog fights. The West Midlands came in second with 456 reported cases, while in Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire there were 380. 

A year-on-year analysis of the figures related to dog fighting shows that the number of reports has been falling since 2015, when the RSPCA counted 2,128 cases.

But as more than four cases of illegal dog fighting are reported every day to the RSPCA across England and Wales alone, the charity is concerned about the wellbeing of many dogs in the country.

Mike Butcher, dog fighting expert and special operations unit chief inspector of the RSPCA, said: “While it’s promising to see that these figures are dropping year on year, it’s still staggering that something which has been illegal for almost 200 years and a bloody pastime which most people would consider consigned to history is still so rife.” 

The charity also highlighted many cases are not reported, which makes it impossible to have a clear and defined picture of how big of a problem dog fighting really is in Britain.

Between 2015 and 2018 the reported cases of dog fighting have been a total of 7,915.

Dogs, who don’t naturally fight against each other, are trained to take part in these illegal competitions by men who usually take bets and win large sums of money if their fighters come out a winner.

Each fight usually lasts up to two hours, according to the League Against Cruel Sports, and it ends only when a dog dies or its owner intervenes. 

The owners rarely take their wounded animals to vets or clinics, as it would give away they had fought, so they are often treated at home using staplers and superglue.

The abuse on dogs doesn’t end with the fights, as the animals able to achieve a number of victories are usually bred to produce a bloodline of fighters.

People found guilty of dog fighting, a practice illegal in the UK since 1835, can be jailed for 12 months, fined up to £20,000, or both.    

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