Dead pit bulls found in trash bags
Michigan City, IN (US)Incident Date: Saturday, Feb 7, 2009
County: La Porte
Disposition: Open
Suspect(s) Unknown - We need your help!
Sherri and Kevin Winslett live in a wooded area on a dead-end road on the city's far East Side where people sometimes dump castoffs: trash, old tires, even kittens.
On Saturday morning, the Winsletts found two large black trash bags containing the frozen carcasses of two pit bulls.
"It was absolutely disgusting," Sherri Winslett said.
"They were totally frozen and starved," she continued, perplexed by the kind of "cruel person" who would do the dumping.
"The life was sucked right out of them."
The dogs showed signs of neglect. The imprint of a dog paw was visible on the stomach of one dog, and the other dog's ribs were sticking out. Winslett called Michiana Humane Society and was told to call police. The police department refers these incidents to Alijah Hunter, the city's animal control officer.
On Monday, Hunter said he hadn't heard anything about the discovery.
Winslett said if dead babies were found in the bags, everybody would be up in arms.
Hunter said he investigates reported incidents, but finds it difficult to do much about them without identification tags on the animals or any witnesses who might have seen the dogs being abused. So far this winter, no one has reported a case of a dog that has frozen to death.
"It's more of a neglect issue," Hunter said. "We get a lot of calls to come pick up an animal from yards because people are moving and can't take the dog, or they're being evicted and leave the animal behind."
For Gail Marsh, Michiana Humane Society executive director, two things come to mind when she hears about cases of abuse involving pit bulls: dog fighting or neglect.
"We're not seeing as much of the scarred animals as in the past," Marsh said, referring to dog-fighting problems in the Lakeland area more than five years ago. At the time, there were reports of dead dogs being dumped behind Krueger Middle School on Springland Avenue and at Coleman & Hicks Funeral Home on Karwick Road.
Marsh said she used to give classroom talks, and students would share stories about watching dog fights and seemed to know a lot about which dogs would fight.
"Kids tell you exactly what goes on," Marsh said. "It's a tough world out there."
Pit bulls are the most popular dogs in Michigan City, Marsh said, and the dogs are often stolen because they are a status symbol and used for protection.
When dog fighting is rampant, little dogs are at risk of being stolen and used for bait.
The Winsletts have had a dachshund and Pomeranian disappear from their property off Tryon Road. Sherri Winslett suspects they became bait in a dog fight.
Marsh said she has picked up small dogs left outside in the Lakeland area and taken them to the shelter after leaving a note for the owners.
"They're furious," Marsh said, "but I say they won't have their little dog anymore if they leave them out." If you have information on this case, please contact:
Alijah Hunter
(219) 873-1500
References
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