It’s a blood sport that’s a crime and arouses passions on both sides of the issue. Dog fighting — like its counterpart cockfighting — is illegal and thriving in many pockets across the United States.

And it is a crime that can be hard to expose. Animal rights activists

say there is no true demographic. It can appear in urban, suburban and rural areas and the highly educated professional may be as involved in the “sport” as the backwoods stereotype.

Locally, both dog wardens say they have heard reports of dog fighting, but have never been able to confirm them.

“I don’t have any first-hand information,” Bill Click, Lawrence County Dog Warden, reports. “We have picked up a lot of pit bulls. I don’t if it is a fad or they are fighting them or not. There have not been any reports of dog fighting.”

The same appears true for the city of Ironton.

“There have been some rumors, but couldn’t prove any of that,” George Wilson, Ironton dog warden said. “Someone has told me that some are fighting dogs … said they would show me the place. It is supposed to be here in Ironton. They don’t follow through. I let it go as hearsay.”