Animal Cruelty Investigator Denounces Dogfighting Phone App

The bloody and vicious world of underground, illegal dogfighting is now at your fingertips.

But one El Paso investigator is speaking out against the controversial app for Android cellphones, which offers users the chance to take part in a virtual dogfighting ring, where they can train fictional dogs to fight each other.

“It’s vicious, it’s disgusting,” said Hugo Navarro with El Paso Animal Services. “It goes completely against what we do.”

“KG Dogfighting” first appeared under the name “Dog Wars,” but was pulled off the virtual shelves in April due to a trademark infringement. Now the app is back, and users can buy it for $4.99.

The app’s preview pages show drugs, weapons and training gear for purchase to condition the dogs into winning fights. Navarro said the actual version of this fantasy game is haunting: seedy, secret arenas where dogs go to die.

“There’s blood all over the place,” said Navarro as he described the rings he’s investigated. “(Dogs) die of exhaustion, they die of shock, they die of blood loss. It’s heartbreaking.”

The training equipment imagery in the app’s preview pages is similar to the real thing as described by Navarro. In one picture, a large dog is seen chained to a tire. “There are tires (dogfighting leaders) use to condition dogs by hanging them from trees and having the dogs latch on to them to strengthen their jaws,” said Navarro.

The app’s creators, Kage Games, stand by what they’re selling. The product’s description says, “We DO NOT CONDONE violence towards animals or humans, and we are confident in humankind’s ability to distinguish between a rudimentary game and the consequences of real life.”

Kage Games says its app is only intended for mature users and that it does not violate the terms of use in the Android app market.

Dogfighting is a felony in the state of Texas.