“There is a big demand for these dogs, which is met by backstreet breeding. However, these are not professional breeders concerned about bloodlines or the health of the animals. The dogs are bred randomly, conditions are often squalid and they are socialised to be aggressive.
Female pitbulls can have two litters a year of around 10 to 15 puppies and each one can be sold for up to £400. People buy multiple breeding pairs and keep them in cages in their homes.
Making money this way signals a change in how we relate to animals. The dogs are not seen as part of the family, but as a commodity, which can be bought and sold.
A conversation with a well-known director about 18 months ago highlighted the extent of the problem. Daniel Kramer, who lives just off Mare Street, said that he sees these animals when he is out and working every single day.
I contacted him because he had directed a performance of Carmen with Opera North, in which he had used a pitbull instead of the traditional bull, and I wanted to find out why. He said they are now so visible on the streets that he thought it would be appropriate to put one in the opera.
When we were speaking on the phone, he actually said he could see through the window to his neighbour’s kitchen, where there were around 10 pitbulls.
After that, I went to a number of parks in London, including Hackney Downs and London Fields. Overall, I found pit bull type dogs in 85 per cent of the parks that I visited.
Immediately I could see the link between status dogs and gangs – it’s not a new one. Young men who live in a violent street world need to gain respect, in order to decrease the violence levered at them. They build up street capital – having a dog is another way of doing this.
There is an indication that you are in control of public space and have the potential of unleashing violence. Young men try and make their dogs as large and powerful as possible, with some even pumping them with steroids.
But the problem is further reaching. It is closely connected with poverty and deprivation. While there are those who want these dogs as pets, there are a large number of people who use them as a commodity to make money and garner status among their peers. It’s a very complex issue.”
Dr Simon Harding’s book, Unleashed: The Phenomenon of Status Dogs and Weapon Dogs, is available from Amazon here.
