Dear Future President,

It has come to my mind that the issue of dog fighting has become too frequent in America. I believe there should be bigger consequences for dog fighting and the use of drugs, like steroids, to enhance dogs’ behavior and body structure.

Greed plays a big role in dog fighting. People mainly join for the cash reward usually due to debt or other payments that they can’t afford. A total estimate of 40,000 people are involved in fights, and a whopping 100,000 support these events.

Not only this, but the living conditions of these dogs are truly gruesome. These dogs grow up on cold isolated chains, that produce crude behavior towards humans. This can also be passed down through their genes leading to a danger for humans. The owners also cut and dock most of the dog's loose appendages manually. This can end up leading to infection in the snout, ears, and tail. If the dog is able to survive then they are put through intense training with barely any food. When dogs lose fights they’re usually beaten or left to survive by themselves in the woods.

In fact, dog fights break more than one law. Fights consist of animal abuse, illegal gambling, possession of drugs, and sometimes firearms. Only lasting a few minutes, a dog fight can break into chaos with the smallest disagreement. These disagreements are usually caused by a money mix up. Dogs can get severely injured in this process and can even die. So I ask of you to please give these cruel people a harsher punishment.

In conclusion, I believe you should put more severe punishments on these fights. If we could increase the prison sentence to something like 15 years, the fights might decrease due to fear. This could be the end of this disgraceful event.

Sincerely,

Carter, 7th Grade Student