Hog-Dog Rodeos
Hog-dog rodeos are bloody events in which one or two frenzied dogs, usually pit bulls, are turned loose in pens to attack wild pigs as onlookers cheer and judges rate dogs by how quickly they take down their prey. To prevent injury to the dogs, the hogs’ tusks are often first broken off with a steel pipe and hammer or with bolt-cutters, rendering these animals completely defenseless.
Hogs often sustain serious injuries during these events, including but not limited to ripped ears and haunches, mangled noses, ruptured scrotums, and other gaping wounds. Sometimes their ears are torn right off. Considered by some to be “good, wholesome fun,” children are also often allowed to gang up on the terrified pigs and chase them around the arena.
State Laws Prohibit Hog-Dog Rodeos
Hog-dog rodeos are common in parts of the South and Midwest. They are generally held in rural locations and often local authorities are alarmingly permissive of these sadistic events. Five states have laws on the books that explicitly make hog-dog rodeos illegal: Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
Unfortunately, these laws are often loosely interpreted by local authorities and rarely enforced. In Clarke County, Alabama, for example, it was not until a local news team conducted an undercover investigation and obtained video documentation of a local hog-dog rodeo that authorities were finally compelled to arrest the organizer on cruelty-to-animals charges and shut down the event.
Hogs and Dogs Need Your Help!
- If you have information about hog-dog rodeos taking place in your community, please report this cruelty to PETA immediately. Tips will be kept confidential if desired.
- Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper to increase awareness of this cruel blood sport. Please stress the importance of authorities’ treating hog-dog rodeos as criminal matters—not only do the pigs suffer tremendously, there is also a strong, dangerous association between blood sports and violent crimes.
- Learn more about the link between cruelty to animals and interpersonal violence.
- Learn more about dogfighting.
