Tito Ortiz Ad

by Patricia Trostle

Tito Ortiz's Anti-Dogfighting ad for peta2

When mixed martial arts (MMA) star Tito Ortiz steps into the ring, you can be sure that he's there because he wants to be and that his opponent is a willing one. The same can't be said when it comes to dogfighting, which is why Tito agreed to speak up for dogs by starring in an ad for peta2. The ad features Tito in the MMA cage alongside the tagline "I Choose to Be in the Ring. Animals Don't."

After hearing that Michael Vick said that mixed martial arts was the same thing as dogfighting, Tito decided to get involved. The former Celebrity Apprentice contestant and UFC champ posed in the MMA cage to encourage his fans to stand up for animals who are being tortured for what some sick people consider "entertainment."

Dogfighting is an illegal and barbaric blood sport that not only hurts the dogs who are pitted against each other but also claims the lives of countless other animals who are used as "bait" during training. Dogs used for fighting are often chained or penned amid their own waste and are teased, taunted, beaten, and starved so that they become aggressive. Dogs who lose fights are often hung, drowned, beaten, or electrocuted. Those who survive sustain excruciating injuries, often develop infections from untreated wounds, suffer broken bones and torn flesh, and are forced to fight repeatedly.

When asked about his dogs, Tito said, "Man's best friend, that's what dogs are for. I have two dogs that I love, and [I] treat them like family." Find out more about his dogs and listen to what he'd like to see happen if he stepped into the ring with a dogfighter in behind-the-scenes footage from his peta2 shoot.

Thanks, Tito. If you suspect that dogfighting is going on in your area, report it to law-enforcement officials right away.

If you're looking for more ways to help dogs and other animals, join the peta2 Street Team! It's a great way to help animals and get free stuff, which sounds like a win-win situation to me.