There's a Dog War Going On


April 25, 2011 • • • •

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Facebook pages have been set up to petition against this application

Dog fighting isn’t a game, and it’s not a sport – it’s a felony, and a crime of horrific nearly unspeakable violence.

I have so many issues with the app – one is the way which dogs are abused in the game, and another the way myths about Pit Bull type dogs are further accentuated. Here’s the truth – they can be the best family dogs on the planet.

The idea that a telephone app game glorifies dog fighting is abhorrent to me. It’s an Android application called Dog Wars (developed by Kage Games LLC).

Worse – while meant for players with “high maturity,” there’s nothing stopping children from downloading. Of course, was pointed out on my Facebook page, someone with high maturity would never be interested in wasting time in this manner.

I downloaded the app – and in my opinion, it celebrates fighting dogs and all the corresponding cruelty.

Mike McConnell, WGN Radio

I believe it should be taken off the market. And that’s what I’ll be talking about tomorrow (April 26) 11:05 AM CDT with Mike McConnell, at WGN Radio (720 AM or click here to listen online). (Likely you can call in – and you can comment too!)

I admit the argument isn’t black and white…the overwhelming majority who have read my previous blog post about the app, and who commented on my Facebook Fan Page or emailed privately do agree with me, others contend the gamers have a right to free speech. And as horrible as dog fighting is, there are lots of games out there which people shoot one another. It should be an interesting discussion.

What really happens in dog fights…and, of course, it can get much worse than this.

It seems now there is an online Dog War – on one side, my blog post and this blog post by Sloane Quealy-Miner on BSL News, and dozens of other posts, and Facebook petition pages with countless signatures at this point. Even the head of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, Paul M. Weber, is speaking out. This is from L.A. Now:

It’s sickening, absolutely sickening,” Weber said. “They should take it
down immediately. These animals are defenseless. It’s absolutely the
wrong message to send to our children.”

Dr. Randall Lockwood, senior vice president of ASPCA Forensic Sciences and Anti-Cruelty Projects also weighs in.  “Anything that in any way appears to promote or condone the serious, violent crime of dog fighting is cause for concern,” he says. “This ‘game’ comes at a time when public outrage and law enforcement concern about dog fighting is at an all-time high, and the public should make this outrage known to those who promote it.”

On the other side of the war, so far, Android (owned by
Google) isn’t pulling the App. And, it could be, Dog Wars is profiting
from the publicity.