Why did 'Dog' lose?

May 9, 2011 11:09 AM

"The Wire" Filter: How did Cheese's opponent cheat in the dogfight?

Was it something that he was rubbing on the dog? If so, what? And how were they caught? I kept replaying the relevant scenes and couldn't figure it out.

posted by Stu-Pendous to Media & Arts (6 answers total)

It's not clear exactly what was rubbed on the dog, but anything poisonous or caustic that can be applied (detergents, bleach, cayenne, sometimes vaseline) will make the other dog less able to maintain their bite, bite at all or maintain their stamina can be used to cheat in dog fights. It's a bit of a MacGuffin in the story.
posted by klangklangston at 11:18 AM on May 9, 2011

Best answer: I think it's implied that the opponent rubbed some type of poison or toxin on his dog, which Cheese's dog then absorbed by, you know, biting and dogfight stuff.

It's not a MacGuffin though.
posted by entropone at 11:25 AM on May 9, 2011

A MacGruffin?

You can get bitter taste spray at pet stores that, for some dogs, dissuades them from biting a sprayed object.
posted by zippy at 11:55 AM on May 9, 2011 [1 favorite]

They put a poison of some type in the soap. One character says to another "Go soap your bitch", which apparently is a common practice before dog fights.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 1:11 PM on May 9, 2011

I got the impression that they rubbed cocaine onto the winning dog, not sure why I thought that though, might have mixed it up with another story.
posted by Not Supplied at 1:17 PM on May 9, 2011

apparently is a common practice before dog fights. (spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints)

To the extent that such a thing exists in dogfighting, it's standard practice to wash the dog before a fight to prevent exactly this kind of cheating. Although I was told people usually wash each other's dogs, so we know already that I'm not familiar with the particular rules depicted in this show.
posted by d. z. wang at 1:17 PM on May 9, 2011