Dog-fighting - dog left for dead
Indianapolis, IN (US)Incident Date: Friday, Nov 6, 2009
County: Marion
Disposition: Open
Suspect(s) Unknown - We need your help!
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. If you have information on this case, please contact:
Crimestoppers
262-TIPS
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