Mountaintop Natural Pets

Source: al.com, June 22, 2010

The confiscation of 26 pit bull terriers in a suspected dog-fighting operation Friday has left the Mobile County Animal Shelter crowded with dogs, authorities said.

Animal control officials said the shelter’s adoptable pets may be in danger of being euthanized because the pit bulls must be isolated and kept until a judge determines what should be done with them.

The 26 dogs were confiscated from the home of Bruce McDonald on Red Fox Road in far north Mobile County, Mobile County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Lori Myles said.

McDonald is yet to be charged in connection with the dogs. He was arrested May 22 on multiple charges related to a methamphetamine operation at the same address, Myles said. Mobile County Humane Officer Carmelo Miranda said the shelter’s adoptable pets suffer when suspected fighting dogs are brought in.

“These dogs must be sheltered one dog to two kennels for at least seven days, because a door separates the kennels back-to-back,” Miranda said.

He added that strays, which also must be kept isolated for seven days, end up moving in to kennels meant for the adoptable pets, adding to crowding problems.

So far since the seizure, Miranda said, no dogs have had to be put down. He said 80 to 90 adoptable dogs reside at the shelter on average.

Since Saturday, Miranda said, rescue groups and individuals have taken in 72 dogs, but at least 37 adoptable dogs remain, and that number could increase.

Miranda said sheriff’s deputies noticed the pit bulls June 16, and animal control officers confiscated them Friday along with treadmills, medications, scales and other paraphernalia associated with dog fighting.  Miranda said anyone interested in adopting a dog can visit the shelter’s Facebook page online or call 251-574-3230 or 251-574-3647.

Source: news.medill.northwestern.edu , Feb 17, 2010

Source: Animalsfriends.org

A former pet healthcare professional and groomer has been charged with running a dog fighting ring.

Nicole Marie Caruso stunned her Baltimore County area when her court case brought out a host of friends as well as current and former bosses that attested to her love of furry friends and her animal welfare activism, the Baltimore Sun reported.

Colleagues called the charge bewildering and the tenant who was renting a part of the house she allegedly hosted dog fights in said the former veterinary technician “wouldn’t let anyone hurt [those creatures].”

However, police said they found three aggressive pit bulls bearing signs of injury as well as blood smeared on walls, weights, chains, collars and a treadmill.

Among the charges is the claim that Ms Caruso used her veterinary training to “suture, stitch and staple wounds on the dogs when they get injured”.

Recently, residents of Bloxwich near Birmingham got a dog fighting scare when a bleeding Staffordshire bull terrier limped into a tyre repair centre, eliciting concerns of a nearby dog fighting ring.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is investigating this possibility, according to the Express and Star.

Source: Gainesville.com, Jan 20, 2010

An investigation into alleged drug sales in Starke led to the discovery of an apparent handler for fighting dogs.

Source: STLToday.com, Nov 24, 2009

Source: Fox59.com, Nov 7, 2009

Police and animal control officers are investigating a gruesome case of dog fighting, after a pit bull was severely injured and left for dead on the northwest side of Indianapolis on Friday.

A man and woman found the dog limping toward their care near the intersection of 71st St. and Guion Rd. When they stepped out of the car they noticed the dog was suffering from multiple puncture wounds and bleeding heavily. They then wrapped it up in a sleeping bag and rushed it to the local Humane Society of Indianapolis.

“You want to think the best of people,” said Nina Gaither, who works with the Humane Society and serves on the board of the Indy Pit Crew, an advocacy group for the breed. “You want to think that maybe this was an accident.”

As a proud pit bull owner, Gaither says her heart sank when the dog named “Valor” came into the Humane Society Friday night.

“This is probably the worst it would get for a dog to come in the doors alive,” Gaither said.

Unfortunately, Gaither said, the pit bull didn’t live for long. Humane officers were forced to euthanize “Valor” after finding two severely broken legs, one which would have required amputation, along with more than 50 puncture wounds. Gaither says they quickly identified “Valor” as a victim of dog fighting, because his injuries were located on the front of his body, and his wounds were inflicted over a long period of time.

“There were wounds from 4-5 days ago,” Gaither said. “There were wounds from three weeks ago. There were wounds from 6 months ago from the varying degrees of healing. That’s when we realized this was nothing new for this dog.”

Gaither says illegal dog fighting isn’t a new problem in our area. The Pit Crew created an educational video in hopes of shedding light on the practice two years ago. The Humane Society receives dogs rescued from fights once every couple months. But Gaither says this latest case shows how previous efforts haven’t been able to target the underlying problem.

“I’m just reminded that this is a human problem,” Gaither said. “This isn’t a dog problem.”

Though it’s unclear exactly how widespread dog fighting has become in Indiana, in the past few months IMPD has joined forces with animal control to crack down on that human problem. The new task force investigates animal fighting complaints and handles cases like “Valor’s”.

“The only thing that ever happened to this dog that was humane was the peaceful end he was given,” Gaither said.

Now she says she hopes the increased effort brings justice to what she calls a cowardly act.

“The whole manner about it makes them a coward,” Gaither said. “The fact that they are engaged in this practice. The fact that they would just dump a dog, you know, out on the street to fend for itself and for the rest of the community to deal with.”

If you have any tips regarding this case or any other cases of dog fighting, please call CrimeStoppers at 262-TIPS.

Source: ShawangunkJournal.com, October 29, 2009

BULLVILLE – The shocking October 7 discovery of four dead pit bulls, tossed in a dumpster at Ron’s Auto Electric on Route 17k, was the first indication of an unpleasant probability.

Now, with the autopsies conducted on the animals by Cornell University College of Veterinarian Medicine in Ithaca, early suspicions have been confirmed. The four dogs, two female and two male, were fighting dogs. Lieutenant Dominick Blasko of the Town of Crawford police had said that, “The tearing of flesh, the bite marks, could only be caused by dog fighting.”

The autopsies concluded that the pit bulls died of blood loss from their wounds.

“I expect that these were the losing animals,” said Kristin DeJournett of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

As for the callous way their bodies were disposed of, she said, “This is how we commonly see these animals dumped.”

Lieutenant Blasko said the dogs had been dead for a few days by the time they were found. Since they were found on a Wednesday, that suggests the dog fights took place on the previous weekend, October 3 and 4.

“Four bodies like this is indicative of more than a backyard fight,” said DeJournett. “This would be a larger, more organized fighting ring.”

Worse yet, it could well be that the fights are being staged in Bullville.

“Dogfighters are very underground,” said DeJournett. “They pick remote locations, the more remote, the more desirable. People will drive from other cities, even from other states, transporting dogs for dogfights.”

In that case, what would people look for?

“If you see a lot of cars show up on a weekend night at a place where that is really unusual, and you also hear dogs barking where there usually isn’t barking, that’s a good tip off.”

DeJournett warned that, “There may well be drug running and weapon exchanges going on, because those activities are commonly found in the dog fighting world.”

She also noted that more and more people are reporting instances of dog fighting. “The Michael Vick case was important that way,” she said, referring to the infamous case from a few years ago when former professional football player Michael Vick was convicted and sentenced to prison for dog fighting crimes. “Before that case, most people thought dog fighting had died out. Now they know better.”

She also explained that prosecutions for dog fighting are difficult to obtain, because in many states and jurisdictions, police must actually witness the fights. However, prosecutions for owning wounded animals and fighting paraphernalia are more common.

“It can happen anywhere,” said DeJournett, “from the richest neighborhood to the poorest ghettos.”

PETA is offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in dog fighting; call 757 622 PETA.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant Blasko asks that anyone with any information about this investigation, please contact the Town of Crawford Police at 744-3300.

Source: KOAT.com, October 12, 2009

Detectives need your help to keep a South Valley dogfighting investigation from going cold. They are offering cash to help generate tips.

Last month, the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office busted a dogfighting operation in a southwest Albuquerque home.

Officers arrested six people, but investigators said there were at least 40 people there that night.

Investigators said most of the activity was caught on cell phone cameras, but that little of that video has surfaced.

“We know it was filmed. So, if you can bring us something, even if it was from the past, it can help us out a lot from this point forward,” said Det. Amy Dudewicz, Bernalillo Co. Sheriff’s Office.

There is a reward of up to $5,000 for information in this case.

Call 877-5-HUMANE if you have information. Tips can remain anonymous.