Dog fighting exposed with Love Like a Dog's Anne Calcagno

Anne Calcagno mailed me a few copies of her newly released book, Love Like a Dog. She asked that I distribute them through my rescue, Shelter Angels Pit Bull Rescue. But before I gave it to adopters I had to read it, and what I read shocked me. 

I couldn't put the book down. I stayed up hours past my bedtime, got so engrossed in the story that I was late for work. The truth in it pissed me off. Are there really people like Russ out there? Can someone go from loving their dog to pitting him against another in a brutal bloodsport? How can people be so evil?

But they are. Michael Vick in Virginia. The Missouri 500. The Dublin dogs out of south Georgia. And most recently the dog fighting ring uncovered in Aragon, Ga less than 2 weeks ago. Smaller rings are regularly uncovered without the media coverage. Dog fights used to happen in the apartment next door to mine, just a few years ago before I moved in. This happens in neighborhoods all around Atlanta and the country. I'm so grateful that Anne has written Love Like a Dog and agreed to answer a few questions for this article.

Rebecca: What inspired you to write Love Like A Dog (LLAD)?

Anne: I wanted to write a love story. My past writing explored the silencing of women, and struggles between siblings and in marriage. I wanted to know if I could write about hope and love and responsibility and trust. Then two things happened; first, my daughter wanted to volunteer at an animal shelter but, being a minor, she couldn’t unless I joined her. We started volunteering at C.A.R.E. in Evanston, just north of Chicago. Our first night, a fought pit bull was brought in. Pit bulls? My head began to swirl. I began researching dog fighting. Being a writer, I knew I had found a powerful story about the ends to which humans will go against, and for, this misunderstood breed, but it wasn’t a love story – yet.

My upset and curiosity led me to D.A.W.G's (Dog Advisory Work Group) a court
advocacy program, where, for over a year, I followed a core of ardent volunteers who
track animal abuse and dog fighting cases on different cases. Subsequently, I interviewed
police officers working Chicago's Animal Care & Control (then headed by Sgt. Steve
Brownstein), following them on raids of suspected dog fighting rings. It was striking to
see the boredom and complacency in those communities where dog fights went down
in next door in the basement or garage. Dog fighting remains a successful underground
economy.

Then a second thing happened; we got our first dog, a large 6-month old Mastiff. My
son, Lucien, was a lively 6 years old. He wanted a dog more than anything, and we did
not realize that Dee was fear-aggressive toward children. I had so much hubris I ignored
the vet’s warnings and the private trainer’s. Then she attacked Lucien, from behind,
splitting his arm open down to the bone; I was there; he had done nothing to provoke
her. Lucien still has a large scar on his arm from her bite. But, right away, that night, all
bandaged up, Lucien began begging me, “Dee didn’t know. It’s not her fault, mommy.
Don’t get mad at her!” (I never told him we had to put her down). His love for her was
greater than his fear or pain; that’s what dogs can bring out in us. This became my love
story. Dirk’s love story.

Rebecca: What type of research did you have to do?

Anne: I’ve listed some of my field research above. I read extensively about pit bulls from as
many angles as possible; Bob Stevens’ “Dogs of Velvet & Steel" offered me one view
on how the magnificent athleticism of the breed can be perfected for dog-fighting (his
books have since been confiscated & he is in court proceedings). The Internet has proved
an astonishing source for unexpected candor from illegal fighters. I pored through the
inspired and passionate writing of the brilliant late Yale scholar Vicki Hearne (Adam’s
Task:Calling Animals by Name, Bandit), and the devoted Diane Jessup, author of The
Dog Who Spoke To Gods and creator of the super website: www.workingpitbull.com.
I discovered Charles Siebert, who writes about the bully breeds for the New York Times
Magazine. And, no less than Malcolm Gladwell, successful author of The Tipping Point
& Blink, whose article: “Troublemakers: What pit bulls can teach us about profiling”
(New Yorker, Feb 6th, 2006) is perfection.

There are positive ways to focus the energy of young pit bulls but for the character Russ, weight
pulls made the most sense. I attended a number of them throughout the Midwest, which I found
fascinating.

Rebecca: Is there a link between weight pulling and dog fighting?

Anne: No, there is not a link between weight-pulling and dog-fighting.  In fact,
weight-pulling is a very positive way to direct energetic dogs. They cannot be
forced to pull, this is an important fact.  They have a drive, one of those
drives that might seem strange to you or me, say like boxing; the last thing I
want to do is box.  But I have a dear friend for whom it is a wonderful fitness
and agility sport and he is absolutely not a violent type.

The Bernese Mountain Dog is a big gentle giant bred to pull milk crates and such
up and down the Swiss mountains and they love weight pulls.  I've never heard of
one being fought.

In our contemporary society, where we sometimes see dogs as toys, or
accoutrements to be dressed up and pampered, we forget that so many dogs love
to work; think of search and rescue dogs, and frisbee and flyball dogs, and
drug-sniffing dogs; there are different levels of physical activity involved
but for the dog the play is also the rewarding job.  And work well done is good
for all creatures!

I remember going to a weight pull where one of the competitors had 3 pit bulls, all of which were
performing extraordinarily well, pulling huge loads. Someone on the sidelines murmured
that this man was doing illegal enticing of his dogs as they pulled (you are required to
be more than 16 feet away & cannot touch the pulling dog). This man let his best dog
pull 15 feet and a half, then jumped onto the pull path, thereby disqualifying the dog, and
announcing: “If you don’t trust me, I don’t want to win.” Quite a show of pride, and he
was being maligned. There’s an honor to having the dog perform extraordinarily well on
his/her own.

To train a dog for pulling, owners/trainers start with the dog pulling light weights while
climbing hills, walking long distances. A lot of time and labor involved and a lot of
human-dog bonding. Some weight-pulls include highly educated professionals working
with their dogs (i.e: look up the IWPA: International Weight Pulling Association); other
weight-pulls are rougher around the edges, but that could be said for dog conformation
shows, too.

Rebecca: How can people spot signs of dog fighting?

Anne: This is not my area of expertise. Dog-fighting today occurs in twenty-two of Chicago’s
twenty-five police districts, and is on the rise nationwide, a burgeoning underground
economy, hardly mitigated by Michael Vick’s conviction (& release). In my 25 years
in Chicago, I’ve never come upon a fight, but I have seen young men testing their dog’s
aggressiveness in alleys. You can also spot likely fighting rings in the country. If a
number of large cement sewer pipes are strewn about with chains attached, or there’s a
barn with 4 or five dog runs, separated by chain-link fences – these are not good signs.
I learned about a Park District supervisor, Bodzianowski, who started out with a love of
Am Staffs that transformed into a craze for dog fighting. Which brings in lots money.
Bodzianowski’s job gave him easy access to the Park District buildings and night, which
is how I set-up LLAD.

If you believe a fight is in process, it is very important to contact your local Police
Animal Care & Control. Too many dog-fighting rings end up not being prosecuted
because the correct warrants and procedures are not followed. Though a felony offence,
less than handful of successful prosecutions have been executed in Illinois in the past
decade. I wanted to write a novel resulting in a successful felony prosecution.

I see the plight of the bully breeds, and the madness of breed specific legislation, as
serious business. The result is Love Like a Dog. It is a story of a boy in Rogers Park (a
northeast neighborhood in Chicago), his single dad and the pit bull they rescue.
 

Thank you Anne for writing this amazing book and opening up people's eyes to the cruelty that is happening to pit bulls all over the country.

Love Like a Dog can be purchased on Anne's website, Love Like a Dog.net.

Visit  Humane Society of the United States for more information on dog fighting.