Dog-fighting - 4 dogs seized
Muncie, IN (US)Incident Date: Sunday, Feb 1, 2009
County: Delaware
Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Alleged
Case Images: 2 files available
Abuser names unreleased
Four pit bulls were seized Feb. 1 after police found the malnourished dogs locked in a kennel outside a home in the Old West End neighborhood. When police arrived, they found one of the dogs biting and ripping flesh from another, according to a police report. The owner was cited for the possession of animals for fighting contests.
The pit bulls, which have a 10-day bail period, are still being held at the Muncie Animal Shelter.
The breed is a familiar one at the shelter, where officials say they receive about 15 to 20 dogs a year that have obvious fighting scars - most of them pit bulls.
"It's hard to say if the scars are from organized fights or enjoyment between the dogs," said Bob Patterson, an animal control officer at the shelter. "I think the fighting going on right now is more of a disorganized macho thing. The more organized the less evidence you find because the (fighters) cover up the tracks from the public."
That disorganized venue might be the only silver lining in what is a big-impact crime.
"Dog fighting is not just a animal issue," said Jill Dolon, founder of Unconditional Love Foundation, a volunteer-run animal rescue, shelter and rehabilitation group in Muncie. "You also have guns, drugs and kids going to the shows, which is causing lack of empathy among them. If you're not kind to animals, you're often not kind to people."
The Humane Society estimates that nearly 40,000 people participate in dog fighting nationally, which can amount to thousands of dollars from admission fees and gambling at one event.
"I know dog fighting is happening in Indiana, and more often than people realize," said Anne Sterling, the Humane Society's Indiana state director. "I think it's definitely something the state needs to look at."
Indiana is one of the few remaining states where it is not a felony to be a spectator at a dogfight, Sterling said. References
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