It took a high profile case to get this issue to the front of America's consciousness and to get people to act. It is imperative that we teach children and young adults empathy and humane behavior so we can stop the cycle of violence.
The anti-cruelty Knock Out Dog Fighting program, is a one-of-a kind, award-winning youth intervention program that has become a national leader in stopping cruelty and abuse to both humans and animals.
The Knock Out Dog Fighting program works with professional boxers, MMA fighters, and other professionals in partnership with schools, Boys & Girls Clubs, juvenile detention centers, gang prevention task forces, and law enforcement agencies to stop cruelty and abuse. We have been recognized for our work by the White House, the American Red Cross, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the American Institute For Public Service, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (F.B.I.), and many others. We are also the group that animal lovers around the world turn to for solutions to "knock out dog fighting".
We work with children and young adults to teach them that it's not a sign of strength, power or greatness to fight, torture or abuse animals. Who better to do this than the toughest men and women on the planet? We do this by helping young people develop self-discipline, honor, respect for themselves and others -- values that are the cornerstone of the martial arts. Most of the kids we work with come from broken homes or abusive situations so we help them make better choices, develop empathy for animals, self-respect and healthy lifestyles. We mentor and provide guidance and the tools and resources they need to overcome their obstacles and to become champions in life.
How do you stop a 30-yr-old from beating his wife? Stop him from abusing animals when he's 12.
The basic premise behind each of the segments in our Juvenile Hall programs is self-motivation, self-discipline, choices, and what it takes to be a champion. The members of Knock Out Dog Fighting are elite athletes and role models who help at-risk youth make better choices, develop self-respect and healthy lifestyles. This reduces the potential of involvement in at-risk activities...like dog fighting.
In addition to humane education we offer healthy alternatives to gang-related activities.
Our school and community center programs help develop moral character in children and young adults. The program instills an appreciation for animals and teaches children how to treat animals with respect. Teaching empathy for animals helps to nourish the inner character of children and young adults. Educating our youth to act humanely produces communities with adults who act humanely. The Knock Out Dog Fighting school program focuses on developing a more compassionate and humane ethic in youth.
Our law enforcement training program is an 8-hour workshop for animal control officers and law enforcement and is presented by attornies, animal control officers, law enforcement officials and prosecutors with experience in dog fighting investigations. Participants learn how to identify signs of dog fighting, how to properly investigate possible dog fighting operations and how to effectively prosecute offenders.
Law enforcement and prosecutors cannot keep ignoring cruelty to animals. They MUST eliminate the “No, we don’t have time to investigate reports of animal abuse – it’s just a dog” mentality. The idea that police and prosecutors have more important crimes against people to worry about – than responding to reports of animal abuse – looses much credibility when such abuse is proven to be linked to serious, aberrant, and deadly criminal behavior. The line separating an animal abuser from someone capable of committing human abuse is much finer than most people care to consider. People abuse animals for the same reasons they abuse people. Some of them will stop with animals, but enough have been proven to continue on to commit violent crimes to people that it's worth paying attention to.