Tiki Taane taking on dog fighting

Tiki Taane has released a new single aimed at exposing and eradicating dog fighting in New Zealand.

The award-winning artist says writing Enough is Enough was the "hardest thing" he has done in his music career.

Its lyrics were composed after he crowd-sourced material from New Zealanders who are concerned about dog fighting.

About 300 people submitted words, poems and chords that became the core of the song.

"A clear pattern emerged in what they were saying. This is where the title of the song, Enough is Enough came from. The song represents the voice of New Zealanders and the fact they will not tolerate this sinister form of animal abuse," Taane says.

The music video was directed by Craig Dunn, the co-founder of animal rights agency Paw Justice.

He says dog fighting is growing in popularity in New Zealand, despite the "horrific" abuse dealt out to the animals involved.

Dogs are subjected to starvation, dehydration and dislocation of legs to prevent them running away, Dunn says.

"We recently located and rescued a dog from handlers through micro-chipping and returned him to his owners. Sadly he was like a soldier returning from war. He was a shell of his former self and it was clear judging from his scars that he had been put through immense emotional and physical abuse."

Dogs that lose fights are often killed by owners who don't want to develop a reputation for breeding inferior dogs.

Other animals including cats, rabbits and starved and dehydrated dogs are also affected by the sport - as owners use them in training as "bait".

Dunn's fellow Paw Justice co-founder Shaughan Campbell played the lead role of a menacing dog fighter in the video for Enough is Enough.

He said the part helped him realise the horror of dog fighting.

"We approached a number of actors to play the lead part but none accepted as they did not want to be associated with such a cruel and vicious sport. So I stepped in and played the part. Even though I was acting, I was shaken and horrified after each take."

- nzherald.co.nz