Dog Fighting App Featuring Harrison Ford & Snoop Dogg!

Animal enthusiasts, Pit Bull advocates and animal rights groups all over the country are enraged by a new Android app called "Dog Wars." Created by Kage Games LLC, Dog Wars is a game designed to be played on your Android phone. It allows players to buy and train Pit Bulls to battle other dogs in "the pit."

Each player starts the game by choosing a persona. There are several to choose from, with pictures and descriptions of their personalities as follows:

The Icon - You've gone head to head with the hottest rappers in the game, but still haven't blown up. Street cred turns gold records platinum and might be the missing link for your hip hop takeover. It's time to show the world how hood you really are.

The Kid - Young, but a natural... and family-schooled in the game. Loyal and clean as a whistle, you've spent enough time in the shadows... known as "the kid", but you'll be "the man" on the streets. Stack some paper.

The Hustler - Once a hustler always a hustler... there's a million ways to get that cheddar - but the pits are your digs. After catching a case and serving three in the pen, you think you still got what it takes.

The Athlete (a football player) - Growing up in the hood gave you the courage to become great on the grid iron. It also exposed you to some dark sports. Now that the days of scoring touchdowns are behind, you're looking for a thrill to fill the void.

The Gangster (portrayed by an image of Snoop Dogg) - Tradition never graduates, and neither did you. Nearly a celebrity at the county jail, dogfighting is low key compared to your usual hood rat things.

The Trainer - Most can't teach an old dog new tricks, but YOU can. With bills piling up, it's time to get you back in the game. A good dog mixed with your training skills just might be your meal ticket.

The Politician (portrayed by an image of Harrison Ford) - You've got enough dirt on local officials to almost get away with murder - and you live like it. The booze and women are just getting played out. Maybe it's time for a new hobby... and some new enemies.

*All descriptions were pulled directly from Dog Wars, mistakes and typos included.

Players keep track of their stats: money, street cred, police heat and experience, as well as their dog's stats: health, strength, aggression and intelligence. They can buy food, ranging from dry dog food to raw meat to feed their dogs. They can also purchase training equipment to prepare the dogs for fighting, steroids to give them a boost during fights and first aid kits to patch up the wounded animals after fights. These details have thousands calling for the app to be pulled from Google's Android market.

While this game is pretty black and white, as far as the premise goes, I am curious about something. How do Harrison Ford and Snoop Dogg feel about their images being used in this game?* Do they even know about it? Are they getting any of the profits from it? Do they themselves support dog fighting? Despite the Athlete football player in the game, Michael Vick has already gone on record condemning this game, claiming to be on the right side of the issue this time. And what about the other people who's images were used in the making of this game? Are they being given part of the profits? Do they even know that their images are being used? If not, they may want to contact their lawyers as soon as possible.

As a human being and Pit Bull owner, I am disgusted by this game's promotion of such a brutal and illegal activity that causes so much damage to these wonderful animals and their reputation. However, as a writer and avid gamer, I am a firm believer in our rights to free speech and expression, especially in gaming, where we are permitted to do things in a fantasy world that we would never do in real life. The controversy over Grand Theft Auto instantly comes to mind. So, despite my love for these dogs and my hatred for dog fighting and those that promote it... I must, in the end, respect the fact that Kage Games has the right to create and market this game, no matter how distasteful I may find it.

There are thousands of games, songs, movies, writers, comedians, actors and television shows that large groups of people find offensive, and they have no problem complaining about it and insisting that the offensive material be canceled, banned, burned, etc. I am of the opinion that this is America, where thousands have fought and died so that we don't have to be afraid of saying, drawing, writing or painting whatever we wish, and we haven't the right to take that away from anyone. The solution to this problem is simple. If you don't like the game, don't play it. If you don't like the movie, don't watch it. If the television show offends you, change the channel. If this writer is making you angry, stop reading.

In the end, this is just a game. These are digital dogs. No real animals are being hurt. Just like no real people are killed in Call of Duty. No real hookers get beaten up in Grand Theft Auto. No real zombies are decapitated in Evil Dead: Fist Full of Boomstick. I know some of you are going to interpret this as me supporting Kage Games and Dog Wars, but I must make it clear that I am not. I am only supporting their rights and those of every free-thinking American. BUT... That doesn't mean I can't hope that Snoop Dogg and Harrison Ford sick their high priced attorneys on Kage Games. Get 'em boys! And, as usual, I welcome any hate/fan mail and/or commentary you all may want to send my way because I believe you have every right to. I might not read, respond to or like it, but you are free to send it.

* To see the specific image of Snoop Dogg used in the game, click this link. http://gossip.elliottback.com/snoop-dogg-denied-visa/