A Gladiator No More: updated with pictures and facts that inspired the poem.

I was born like any other.

To one Father, one Mother.

A normal start to what should have been a normal life.

Instead I was born to violence and strife.

I am a Gladiator, that is my life.

Forced to fight for my life before it had really begun.

Every battle survived, another day of life won.

The strong instinct to survive keeps me going day to day.

But no creature should have to live this way.

I am a Gladiator, must I a Gladiator stay?

Surrounded by people that scream and shout.

I look but can see no way out.

My opponent enters the other side of the ring.

I ready for the fight,but then comes the most amazing thing.

New people come and take my oppressor and the screamers away.

There is no fight, the opponent and I are lead away.

I am a Gladiator, but perhaps no more after today.

I am bathed, fed, and given a soft warm bed.

Instead of a beating some nice people pat and caress my head.

A few weeks later when my wounds have all healed.

I am taken to a new place where my new fate is revealed.

I am a Gladiator, but maybe my heart can yet be healed.

Some nice people take me to a place called “home”.

My bed is there, and a there is a “backyard” that is “outside” that I am allowed to roam.

There are some little people called “kids”.

We run and play all day.

Now the ring seems so far away.

Now I have a life worth fighting for.

Now I am.

A Gladiator No More!

My wife works for a non-profit that rescues abandon and/or abused animals.In October of 2015, a young man brought in a puppy. Just a tiny 4 week old pitty. This pup had been bitten, had 3 puncture wounds to his face, all seriously infected. Most likely used as a bait dog. We were heading out of town, my wife called and said there would be another passenger. We took this little guy and all his meds with us. Six months later he is still with us and will be for the rest of his life. Now named "Blu" he is my wife's constant companion, playmate to our kids, and the best buddy a guy could have. These dogs, Pit bulls,(educate yourself there are many breeds considered "Bully Breeds") do not deserve the reputation they have. Nor do they deserve the prejudice directed against them.

Dog fighting is one of the most heinous forms of animal cruelty. Fighting dogs are typically raised in isolation, so they spend most of their lives on short, heavy chains. They are regularly conditioned for fighting through the use of drugs, including anabolic steroids to enhance muscle mass and encourage aggressiveness. Fighting dogs may have their ears cropped and tails docked close to their bodies to minimize the animal’s normal body language cues and to limit areas that another dog can grab during a fight. Fighters usually perform this cropping/docking themselves using crude and inhumane techniques.

Although dog fighting is a felony in all 50 states, it continues to occur in every part of the country and in every type of community. Fights can happen in a variety of locations ranging from back alleys to carefully-staged enterprises. Fights typically take place in a 14-20 square-foot pit designed to contain the animals. Fights can last just a few minutes or several hours, and both animals may suffer injuries including puncture wounds, lacerations, blood loss, crushing injuries and broken bones. Although fights are not usually to the death, many dogs succumb to their injuries later, and losing dogs are often discarded, killed or brutally executed as part of the “sport.”

Dog fighting is often associated with other forms of criminal activity including illegal gambling and possession of drugs and firearms. By our estimate, there are tens of thousands of dog fighters in the U.S., forcing hundreds of thousands of dogs to train, fight, and suffer every year.