1. By: Peyton Perkins & Sabrina Jefferson Pd.5 February 7 th 2012

2. Dog fighting is all over the world, in some places it is not illegal. Dogs are starved,beaten and trained cruelty to make them vicious. These dogs die everyday and it is against many animal cruelty laws to own, breed and fight them. It also affects many people in the community because sometimes pets like cats, rabbits, and even other dogs are stolen to use as bait animals or to be trained into fighting dogs. Dog fighting

3. Dog fighting affect the animals involved, such as the dogs. This is because many are badly injured and/or killed during the fights. Many people bring their children to watch the “sport". So it is corrupting children and future members of society. It also can sometimes affect people in the surrounding community because sometimes dog fighters will steal household pets to be used as bait animals. These are animals that are used to train the dog to be violent and vicious. Who does it affect?

4. The root of this problem, or reason people have dog fights, is because they want to make money with few resources. This problem has been a popular sport for hundreds of years but it has become illegal in most countries around the world including the U.S. People still continue to participate in this cruel “sport” because people find it a fast way to make a lot of money without spending a lot of money. What is the root of the problem?

5. This sport takes place all around the world but it is not illegal in all countries. So this is mainly a national problem because dog fighting is extremely illegal in all states in the U.S. Scope

6. 1.Make a national help line where people could call in and report people who they suspected were fighting dogs in the area. 2. Make a law that says that before an owner sells or gives away their dogs that the person they are giving it to has to have a background check to look for any serious offenses. 3. Give the police more authority to search a premises that they suspect is holding dog fights. 3 Possible Solutions

7. This solution is the best because with the help line you would have to spend lots of money in advertising to let people know about the number to the help line. Also the plan to give police more authority to enter a home that they suspect is being used for dog fighting can run into a lot of conflict with people arguing that this will violate their privacy rights. Why this solution is the best

8. Dear Tom Carper, I am writing to you to inform you about a major issue in The United States. This issue is illegal dog fighting. Illegal dog fighting is a cruel “sport” where people will take dogs and train them to be cruel and vicious and then get them to fight other dogs for money and entertainment. Dog fighting is all over the country and these animals are starved, beaten, and many times they are mauled and killed during the fights. Not only does it affect the dogs who are severely abused, this affects the people of the surrounding community. Dog fighters will steal other pets and animals to use as bait animals or fighting dogs. A bait animal is an animal that is used to train the dogs to be vicious and deadly. Many times these animals are killed or severely injured. The root of this problem is that people want to make lots of money in a short amount of time with few resources. My partner and I have come up with a few solutions that we think may help to stop this problem in the country. One solution is we could make a national help line that people could use to report dog fighting that they suspect is happening in their area. Another solution would be to make a law that says before the owner of an animal plans to sell or give away their pet, the person who they are giving the animal to must have a background check to look for any serious offenses that could suggest that the animal is going to be used for fighting. The last solution would be to give the police more authority to investigate the premises of an area where they suspected dog fighting was taking place. The solution we suggest should be taken into affect to help solve this problem is where we pass a law saying that every animal owner should give a buyer a background check before selling or giving away their animal. This can prevent innocent animals from falling into the wrong hands and being used for fighting. This we believe is the best solution because making a help line would take a lot of money to advertise the line and make the number known nationwide. The solution where police have more authority to investigate a suspicious area could run into a lot of conflict involving people arguing that their privacy rights are being invaded. So this solution is most likely the best. I hope that you take our suggestions into consideration to help stop these innocent animals from suffering any longer because of certain unimaginable cruelty. We thank you for your time and patience. Sincerely, Peyton Perkins and Sabrina Jefferson Senator Letter