[an error occurred while processing this directive]  May 25–June
1, 2000  cover story  Mortal Combat, part 2  image image  Dog
gone: This stray is just one of the many rejected fighters the
SPCA takes into its shelter.  photo: Shoshanna Wiesner  Inside
the fiercely competitive world of Philly pit bull fighting.  by
Daryl Gale  part 1 | part 2 | glossary  The history of the pit
bull and its fighting heritage goes back more than 200 years, to
England in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, when the
sport of bull baiting was legal and quite popular. Bull baiting
involved forcing several dogs to face down and fight a fully
grown bull, with spectators wagering on the outcome. Many dogs
were gored and stomped to death by the bulls, but eventually
enterprising dog owners began cross-breeding dogs in an effort
to create the perfect bull-baiting dog. The dog had to be short
and squat, but incredibly powerful in the upper body; it needed
strong jaws and unlimited holding power, and most importantly,
the vicious tena