Dog-fighting - one dog found dead
Dorchester, MA (US)Incident Date: Saturday, Apr 11, 2009
County: Suffolk
Disposition: Not Charged
Abuser names unreleased
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
A Dorchester man may face felony animal cruelty charges, following the discovery of an apparent dog fighting ring at the man's home.
What appears to be a pit bull fighting ring was discovered when a repairman was called to the home; the plumber became concerned and reported the situation to authorities when he saw a bloody dog fighting pit and dog cages.
When Boston police searched the Raven Street-area home of the 36-year-old male resident, authorities also uncovered dog fighting-related equipment, like probing sticks and bite sticks.
Boston police have said that the man admitted the three dogs were his; he reportedly said the blood was the result of the dogs fighting on their own accord. Authorities say the man claimed the dogs were kept for breeding purposes.
It was approximately 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 11, when three dogs were removed from the first-floor apartment in Dorchester by the Massachusetts Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals' (MSPCA) Law Enforcement Division. Unfortunately, one of the dogs was deceased; a second was severely injured. But a third dog was reportedly found in fair condition.
As of 12:00 noon Sunday, no arrests had been made in connection with this case; the investigation continues.
Case UpdatesOne month after officials rescued two badly mauled pit bulls from a Dorchester dog-fighting dungeon, the Animal Rescue League of Boston is struggling to rehabilitate one of the traumatized canines, an anxiety-stricken puppy named Raven.
"He doesn't know how to sit or how to play - he doesn't know how to be a dog," said veterinarian and licensed dog trainer Amy Marder, Director of the Center for Shelter Dogs at the rescue league. "He's pretty damaged."
Estimated to be eight months old, Raven's handsome gray coat is ravaged by bite marks. He suffers from a jaw injury and a heart murmur - but those were the least of his problems when authorities removed him from what they described as a "filthy, blood- and urine-soaked" cage in a pitch-black basement on April 11.
"He had very severe infections which brought him close to death," Marder said of Raven.
The other surviving pitbull, Sidney, is recovering at a dog sanctuary outside Boston. While Sidney is expected to make a full mental recovery, Raven is highly anxious and undergoing the equivalent of pooch psychotherapy. The first step, Marder said, is basic behavior training.
"We have to start slowly," she said, "because if he doesn't understand what you're trying to say, it could actually make things worse."
Authorities expect to charge a 36-year-old suspect, whose apartment was host to the torture chamber where cops found a 10-by-20-foot dog-fighting ring made of blood-spattered plywood, a blood-soaked, sharpened probing stick and the remains of a dead dog, police said.
On Thursday, Raven bolted into a room at the animal rescue league, his tail lowered with anxiety as he zipped aimlessly from one corner of the room to another. He barely acknowledged the presence of three women. But when a man entered the room he looked up, signaling that his captor was probably male, Marder said.
"He doesn't have the ability to form normal relationships with humans," she said.
Marder threw a stuffed animal and Raven didn't react. A child-sized doll was so scary that even the lure of food wouldn't bring him closer.
"He probably has never seen children in his life," Marder said. "His life was bowls of food and fighting. What a life."
There was, however, some progress: after strategically dangling Raven's favorite dog treat before him, he finally sat on command.
"What a good boy," Marder said. | Source: Boston Herald - May 11, 2009
Update posted on May 11, 2009 - 10:51PM |
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