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THIS is the moment that an absolute beast of a dog was able to pull a load of 3500kg in a brutal competition.
A video of a 77kg Pitbull strong-dogging a weight pulling competition has gone viral on X – but not without a great deal of controversy in the comment section.
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nldogs.comAlthough a handful of users gushed over how strong the dog is, the majority of comments drew attention to the cruelty behind the sport.
One user said: “His back legs walking to get prepared…. doesn’t look good… amazing strength but it looks like those legs/hips are hurting.”
Another said: “Everyone in that room deserves jail time”.
Despite the long history of using canines as freights, the world of weight-pulling competitions has always been immensely controversial.
The competing canines are attached to a cart containing concrete or bricks, and made to use their body strength to pull increasingly heavy loads 16feet down a track.
They must start moving the cart within one minute otherwise they are disqualified, and the fastest to drag the cart the 16feet wins.
A select few have argued that by making your dog weight pull you can curb behavioural problems.
The American Pulling Dogs Association say: “In the light of the changes over the last 40 years we see more and more dogs who have an exercise requirement that is difficult for some owners to fulfill.
“Dog professionals in some areas have found weight-pulling, to be not only easier for many clients to provide, but have also shown significant improvements in various behavior problems as well.”
They have argued that issues with aggression, hyperactivity and obsessive-compulsive behaviours are improved drastically when animals are given an energy outlet like weight pulling.
However, most people consider weight pulling to be a dangerous activity that borders on animal abuse.
In fact, Florida Commissioner and animal advocate Dan Hester told CBS that the competitions were cruel and disturbing.
He said: “To me, it is wrong. I’m not saying it is illegal, but I am suggesting in the 21st century, that’s not the way you treat what’s meant to be a companion animal.”
When he learned that some animal shelters allow their animals compete in weight pulling activities, he was devastated.
Dan said: “Taking an animal out of a shelter to a quasi-public event to demonstrate how strong that dog is…there is something wrong there with that thinking.”
It is also worth noting that there is serious prize money up for grabs if you enter your dog in a competition like this.
Clint Boyer, from Saksaktchewan, Canada, said that he has won $8,000 in prize money before.
He also said that there is a regional competition involving the U.S, Canada, Mexico and Alaska where the minimum prize is $13,000.
Some critics have claimed that the prize pool acts as an incentive for people to enter their pets without considering the danger that it could do to them.
Lindsay Rajt, a spokesperson for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, has spoken at length about how dangerous it is for dogs.
She said: “It can be extremely dangerous, especially if they haven’t been conditioned or trained for it.
“The other concern is when you have owners that are more focused on winning than the safety of their dogs.”
Lindsay went on to liken weight-pulling to illegal dogfighting.
She revealed that there have been cases of dogfighting suspects using weight-pulling competitions as a cover.
She also added that there are similarities in the training methods and equipment for the two canine competitions.
Lindsay wonders: “Why can’t you just value the animal for the companionship that he offers?”
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English (US)