Hog-baiting
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Hog-baiting, aka Hog dogging, Hog-dog fighting, or Hog-dog rodeo is a bloodsport involving the baiting of a hog or boar.
[edit] Background
In a typical match the hog is released into a pen with one or more dogs who attempt to subdue it. In more violent versions of the sport, specially trained "catch dogs" try to bring down the hog by biting and dragging. Occasionally the dogs are outfitted with chest armor, but major injuries to both animals are common in any case.
Hog dogging as a sport developed from the training of specialist boar-hunting dogs. Typically a hunter's pack of dogs is divided into "bays" who corner the hogs and "catch dogs" that try to bring them down. The development of this training into a competitive spectator event is believed to have first taken place in Winnfield, Louisiana at an event known as "Uncle Earl's Hog Dog Trials." The Trials were first organized in 1995 as part of the celebration of former Governor and well-known hog hunter Earl K. Long's 100th birthday. The annual event is known as "The of Hog Dog Baying." In these trials, a group of five judges score the dogs' skill at baying the hog (cornering it and causing it to stand still.) Events are classed by the age of the dog and the number of dogs attempting the bay.
