Ed Faron

Last updated
Ed Faron
Born
Edward Anthony Faron [1]

(1947-11-09) November 9, 1947 (age 76)
Ohio, United States
OccupationDog breeder
Criminal charge Dog fighting
Criminal penalty6 months

Edward Anthony Faron (born November 9, 1947) is an American author and a breeder of pit bulls for dog fighting. [2] He is generally regarded in the United States as the Godfather of dog fighting. [3] [4] [5]

Ed Faron was born in Ohio and trained dogs after returning from serving in the Vietnam War in 1970. [6] He started breeding pit bull dogs in 1987. In 1995 he co-authored the book The Complete Gamedog: A Guide to Breeding and Raising the American Pit Bull Terrier. [7] In 1996 Ed Faron moved to Millers Creek, North Carolina to create Wildside Kennels. [6]

In 2008 Ed Faron was indicted for a running a dog fighting operation called Wildside Kennels, which was based in Wilkes County, North Carolina. [8] In 2009, he pleaded guilty to dog fighting and received a 10-month prison sentence plus probation time. [9] [10] [11] Faron had previously been convicted for dog fighting in 1989. [6]

127 pit bulls were seized in the 2008 raid, to be euthanized. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pit bull</span> Type of dog

Pit bull is an umbrella term for several types of dog believed to have descended from bull and terriers. In the United states, the term is usually considered to include the American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, American Bully, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and sometimes the American Bulldog, along with any crossbred dog that shares certain physical characteristics with these breeds. In other countries, including the United Kingdom, the term is used as an abbreviation of the American Pit Bull Terrier breed specifically, while the Staffordshire Bull Terrier is not considered a pit bull. Most pit bull-type dogs descend from the British bull and terrier, a 19th-century dog-fighting type developed from crosses between the Old English Bulldog and the Old English Terrier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Staffordshire Bull Terrier</span> British breed of dog

The Staffordshire Bull Terrier, also called the Staffy or Stafford, is a purebred dog of small to medium size in the terrier group that originated in the northern parts of Birmingham and in the Black Country of Staffordshire, for which it is named. They descended from 19th-century bull terriers that were developed by crossing bulldogs with various terriers to create a generic type of dog generally known as bull and terriers. Staffords share the same ancestry with the modern Bull Terrier, although the two breeds developed along independent lines, and do not resemble each other. Modern Staffords more closely resemble the old type of bull terrier, and were first recognised as a purebred dog breed by The Kennel Club of Great Britain in 1935.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puppy mill</span> Type of commercial dog breeding facility

A puppy mill, also known as a puppy farm, is a commercial dog breeding facility characterized by quick breeding and poor conditions. Although no standardized legal definition for "puppy mill" exists, a definition was established in Avenson v. Zegart in 1984 as "a dog breeding operation in which the health of the mill’s dogs is disregarded to maintain a low overhead and maximize profits". They are cited as being a result of increased demand for household pets, especially after World War II. The Veterinary Medical Association of the Humane Society of the United States defines the main characteristics of a puppy mill as "emphasis on quantity over quality, indiscriminate breeding, continuous confinement, lack of human contact and environmental enrichment, poor husbandry, and minimal to no veterinary care."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dog fighting</span> Blood sport

Dog fighting is a type of blood sport that turns game and fighting dogs against each other in a physical fight, often to the death, for the purposes of gambling or entertainment to the spectators. In rural areas, fights are often staged in barns or outdoor pits; in urban areas, fights are often staged in garages, basements, warehouses, alleyways, abandoned buildings, neighborhood playgrounds, or in the streets. Dog fights usually last until one dog is declared a winner, which occurs when one dog fails to scratch, dies, or jumps out of the pit. Sometimes dog fights end without declaring a winner; for instance, the dog's owner may call the fight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Breed-specific legislation</span> Legislation specific for breeds that are used in illegal dog fighting

In law, breed-specific legislation (BSL) is a type of law that prohibits or restricts particular breeds or types of dog. Such laws range from outright bans on the possession of these dogs, to restrictions and conditions on ownership, and often establishes a legal presumption that such dogs are dangerous or vicious to prevent dog attacks. Some jurisdictions have enacted breed-specific legislation in response to a number of fatalities or maulings involving pit bull–type dogs or other dog breeds commonly used in dog fighting, and some government organizations such as the United States Army and Marine Corps have taken administrative action as well. Due to opposition to such laws, anti-BSL laws have been passed in 21 of the 50 state-level governments in the United States, prohibiting or restricting the ability of jurisdictions within those states to enact or enforce breed-specific legislation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Pit Bull Terrier</span> American dog breed

The American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT) is a dog breed recognized by the United Kennel Club (UKC) and the American Dog Breeders Association (ADBA), but not the American Kennel Club (AKC). It is a medium-sized, short-haired dog, of a solid build, whose early ancestors came from England. When compared with the English Staffordshire Bull Terrier, the American Pit Bull Terrier is larger by margins of 6–8 inches (15–20 cm) in height and 25–35 pounds (11–16 kg) in weight. The American Pit Bull Terrier varies in size: males are normally about 18–21 inches (45–53 cm) in height and around 35–60 pounds (15–27 kg) in weight, while females are normally around 17–20 inches (43–50 cm) in height and 30–50 pounds (13–22 kg) in weight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Staffordshire Terrier</span> Dog breed

The American Staffordshire Terrier, also known as the AmStaff, is a medium-sized, short-coated American dog breed recognized by the American Kennel Club, but not the United Kennel Club, which instead allows American Staffordshire Terriers to be registered under the American Pit Bull Terrier breed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bull Terrier</span> Dog breed

The Bull Terrier is a breed of dog in the terrier family. There is also a miniature version of this breed which is officially known as the Miniature Bull Terrier. This breed originates in 19th century England. Originally bred for vermin control and bloodsports, this breed can be independent and stubborn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rat-baiting</span> Blood sport

Rat-baiting is a blood sport that involves releasing captured rats in an enclosed space with spectators betting on how long a dog, usually a terrier, takes to kill the rats. Often, two dogs competed, with the winner receiving a cash prize. It is now illegal in most countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bull and terrier</span> Mixed breed

Bull and terrier was a common name for crossbreeds between bulldogs and terriers in the early 1800s. Other names included half-and-halfs and half-breds. It was a time in history when, for thousands of years, dogs were classified by use or function, unlike the modern pets of today that were bred to be conformation show dogs and family pets. Bull and terrier crosses were originally bred to function as fighting dogs for bull- and bear-baiting, and other popular blood sports during the Victorian era. The sport of bull baiting required a dog with attributes such as tenacity and courage, a wide frame with heavy bone, and a muscular, protruding jaw. By crossing bulldogs with various terriers from Ireland and Great Britain, breeders introduced "gameness and agility" into the hybrid mix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Badger-baiting</span> Blood sport

Badger-baiting is a form of blood sport in which badgers are baited with dogs. A baiting session typically results in the death of the badger, and possibly serious injuries to the dogs.

An illegal sport is any sport that is illegal in one or more jurisdictions due to the violent or dangerous nature of the sport. Well-known illegal sports, such as cockfighting and dogfighting, are barred on the basis of animal abuse.

Gerard Cavlan is an Irish former Gaelic footballer who played for the Tyrone county team. He was part of the team that won the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship in 2003.

The Bad Newz Kennels dog fighting investigation began in April 2007 with a search of property in Surry County, Virginia, owned by Michael Vick, who was at the time quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons football team, and the subsequent discovery of evidence of a dog fighting ring. Over seventy dogs, mostly pit bull terriers, with some said to be showing signs of injuries, were seized, along with physical evidence during several searches of Vick's 15-acre (61,000 m2) property by local, state and federal authorities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dog fighting in the United States</span>

Dog fighting in the United States is an activity in which fights between two game dogs are staged as a form of entertainment and gambling. Such activity has existed since the early 19th century in the United States and was gradually prohibited in all states. It continues as an underground activity in both rural and urban locations.

Animals used by laboratories for testing purposes are largely supplied by dealers who specialize in selling them to universities, medical and veterinary schools, and companies that provide contract animal-testing services. It is comparatively rare that animals are procured from sources other than specialized dealers, as this poses the threat of introducing disease into a colony and confounding any data collected. However, suppliers of laboratory animals may include breeders who supply purpose-bred animals, businesses that trade in wild animals, and dealers who supply animals sourced from pounds, auctions, and newspaper ads. Animal shelters may also supply the laboratories directly. Some animal dealers, termed Class B dealers, have been reported to engage in kidnapping pets from residences or illegally trapping strays, a practice dubbed as bunching.

BAD RAP is an animal welfare and rescue group based in Oakland, California, devoted to caring for and improving the public image of pit bull terriers as pets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Bully</span> Dog breed

The American Bully is a modern breed of dog that was developed as a companion dog, and originally standardized and recognized as a breed in 2004 by the American Bully Kennel Club (ABKC). Their published breed standard describes the dog as giving the "impression of great strength for its size". In 2008, the American Bully was recognized by the European Bully Kennel Club (EBKC), and on July 15, 2013, by the United Kennel Club (UKC). The UK Kennel Club, American Kennel Club, and International Canine Federation do not recognize the American Bully as a separate breed.

Dogs in the United States have significant popularity and status – they are often treated as family members. Currently, the American Kennel Club is the largest registry of pure breed dogs across the world.

References

  1. "Kennel where pit bulls seized called a major breeding center". 21 February 2009. Archived from the original on 21 February 2009. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  2. "Dogfighting Fact Sheet : The Humane Society of the United States" (PDF). Retrieved 2018-09-10.
  3. Mitchell, Monte (13 February 2009). "Dog-fighting 'godfather' given prison". Winston-Salem Journal.
  4. "Becoming in Kind, Race, Class, Gender, and Nation in Cultures of Dog Rescue and Dogfighting" (PDF). Sas.upenn.edu.
  5. "No Curs Allowed: Exploring the Subculture of Dogmen" (PDF). Libres.uncg.edu.
  6. 1 2 3 "Wilkes Journal Patriot - Welcome". 29 March 2010. Archived from the original on 29 March 2010. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  7. ASIN   B0006F7C3W , The Complete Gamedog: A Guide to Breeding and Raising the American Pit Bull Terrier
  8. "ASPCA's Mobile Animal CSI Unit Celebrates 1st Anniversary in Action". ASPCA . Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  9. Mitchell, Monte. "Wilkes man pleads guilty to dog fighting". Winston-Salem Journal . Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  10. Rachel Beck (28 May 2010). "Man sentenced in dogfighting case". Gazettetimes.com. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  11. "NC Law Enforcement Agencies Praised for Bringing 'Dogfighting Godfather' to Justice : The Humane Society of the United States". Humanesociety.org. Archived from the original on September 10, 2018.
  12. "Fighting dogs get death sentence". UPI . Retrieved 10 September 2018.