Pit Bull Fighting Ring Busted
One by one, chained up dogs, 21 in total, are
given much needed water.
”Come on, get you some water. You’re okay," Kay Jordan of the Pulaski County Humane Society talks to the dogs as she fills empty water dishes.
She says it's clear the dogs, many of them pit bulls, were trained to fight. "They're kept just far enough apart on big heavy chains that they can't get loose and fight each other."
The further back they walk, the more gruesome it becomes. Humane Society workers find a jaw bone, a dog cemetery and one pit bull left dead. His body’s bloated from the summer heat.
Hidden in the woods, authorities discover a fight ring. A wooden dagger is still lying there. It was used to make the dogs fighting mad.
"It's very frustrating because this is torture for these animals," says Jordan
Three younger dogs are locked in a cage. They are most likely bait dogs that would have eventually been used to teach the pit bulls how to kill.
Jordan says, “Of course the dog has no defense because it's a small dog against a pit bull. They are torn to pieces."
Jaxie Heppner’s with the Beebe Humane Society and says charging the dogs' owner with 22 counts of animal cruelty isn't enough. She wants this crime to be a felony.
"There needs to be laws to prosecute these people to the fullest because these dogs are just as much a victim as anyone else," she says.
Away from the ring, the dogs are good natured.
"These dogs are sweet,” says Heppner. “They're all good dogs. It's not the dog, it's the people."
But the way they were trained to fight may make them unadoptable.
Jordan says, “Pit bulls are excellent pets, but sometimes when they're fighters, there's no choice but for the organization to euthanize."
Jordan says she'll try to find the dogs a home at a pit bull rescue facility out of the state.
We talked to a neighbor who says he did feed and water the dogs. But he says the owner moved and took seven of the best fighters with him.
WARNING: The video link to the right contains images that may be unsettling to some viewers.
”Come on, get you some water. You’re okay," Kay Jordan of the Pulaski County Humane Society talks to the dogs as she fills empty water dishes.
She says it's clear the dogs, many of them pit bulls, were trained to fight. "They're kept just far enough apart on big heavy chains that they can't get loose and fight each other."
The further back they walk, the more gruesome it becomes. Humane Society workers find a jaw bone, a dog cemetery and one pit bull left dead. His body’s bloated from the summer heat.
Hidden in the woods, authorities discover a fight ring. A wooden dagger is still lying there. It was used to make the dogs fighting mad.
"It's very frustrating because this is torture for these animals," says Jordan
Three younger dogs are locked in a cage. They are most likely bait dogs that would have eventually been used to teach the pit bulls how to kill.
Jordan says, “Of course the dog has no defense because it's a small dog against a pit bull. They are torn to pieces."
Jaxie Heppner’s with the Beebe Humane Society and says charging the dogs' owner with 22 counts of animal cruelty isn't enough. She wants this crime to be a felony.
"There needs to be laws to prosecute these people to the fullest because these dogs are just as much a victim as anyone else," she says.
Away from the ring, the dogs are good natured.
"These dogs are sweet,” says Heppner. “They're all good dogs. It's not the dog, it's the people."
But the way they were trained to fight may make them unadoptable.
Jordan says, “Pit bulls are excellent pets, but sometimes when they're fighters, there's no choice but for the organization to euthanize."
Jordan says she'll try to find the dogs a home at a pit bull rescue facility out of the state.
We talked to a neighbor who says he did feed and water the dogs. But he says the owner moved and took seven of the best fighters with him.
WARNING: The video link to the right contains images that may be unsettling to some viewers.
Created: 7/12/2006 9:49:47 PM
Updated: 7/12/2006 10:47:12 PM