Illegal fun: Dog fight draws large crowd

Over 19 dogs participated in the event where an average fight lasted between 10 and 15 minutes.

PAKPATTAN:

Hundreds of people attended a dog fighting competition in the district on Tuesday afternoon.

Residents of Mohalla Hasanpura complained that the dog fight competition was organised in the area where dozens of dog trainers and owners were present. “There were over 19 dogs who participated in the event. An average fight lasted between 10 and 15 minutes,” said Rasheed Badar. A large crowd was gathered at the site and the event lasted well into the evening, when flood lights were placed at the ground site. “There were people from at least three tehsils who attended the fight,” he said.

“The winning dog’s owner received a prize of Rs7,000,” said Arshad, a visitor. He said the tournament continued till 10pm on Tuesday night. Spectators said that several influential people from the area were also in attendance. “There was music and several refreshment stalls were set up in the area,” Badar said. Organisers said that they had trained several dogs especially for the fights and that the audience enjoyed the fights.

Police officials failed to shut down the event even though it was against the law. Residents said they had contacted the police a number of times and complained about the fight. The police, however, said no such complaint was lodged with them.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 29^th, 2011.