An undercover SPCA officer spoke to the Tele about its investigations aimed at convicting the criminals and rescuing dogs.

The officer said, “We strongly suspect there’s links with organised dog fighting in Dundee.

“These are being organised in people’s gardens and on their own property. However, some fights have been well organised, with people travelling long distances to attend.

“There’s been an explosion in the number of cases reported.”

The covert unit dealing with dog fighting operates over the whole of Scotland but at the moment is targeting the North East areas, in particular Dundee, Aberdeen, Peterhead, Macduff and Fraserburgh.

The officer went on to explain how the problem has progressed and why it is such a challenge to get information.

“It’s something that’s been going on for years and it’s a secretive world, which makes it difficult to break into.”

It is suspected those engaged in dog fighting rings are also involved in other forms of crime — primarily drug trafficking.

The Scottish SPCA wants anyone with information to contact them and the undercover officer explained some of the signs.

“It could involve American pit bull terriers and Irish Staffordshire bull terriers, as the dogs used are bigger than the traditional bull terriers.

“The giveaway of people who are training dogs to fight are treadmills in their garden or shed or people who are training dogs with lunge poles.

“Obvious signs are bull terriers with injuries to their face, neck, chest and front legs, or dogs with their ears cropped.”

The painful scars marking the bodies of dogs used for fighting are referred to by their owners as “medals”.

A recent case the officer was concerned with involved a group of people in the Dundee area training their dogs on cats. The dogs’ ears were cropped to prevent blood loss.

It’s also a fashion accessory, as to own a champion dog is viewed as the ultimate status symbol within these rings.