31 'pit bulls' taken, may be put down

The owner denies they are pit bulls, says he runs a kennel and that he has a permit.

By Lauren Dunford and Kelli Wynn

Staff Writers

DAYTON | The 31 dogs removed from a residence at 4901 Hoover Ave. on Sunday will be euthanized if they are not returned to their owner, said Mark Kumpf, director of the Montgomery County Animal Resource Center.

Police and center officials came to the Hoover address around 5:50 p.m. Sunday and removed the dogs after a resident spotted an injured dog and called police. Police identified the dogs as pit bulls.

"These animals were seized from a location where they may have been used for fighting," Kumpf said Monday. "The dogs will be held here, pending the outcome of the criminal investigation."

The owner of the Hoover property, Simon Denby, said he was not home when the dogs were removed and said, "This is a kennel club."

No charges were filed Monday.

Denby obtained a kennel license on Jan. 31, according to the Montgomery County Auditor's office.

Denby said the dogs were mixed breeds and that "none are pit bulls."

"By the time I got the search warrant it was 1:50 a.m. (Police) were already on the property," Denby said Monday as he and another man removed what appeared to be several bags of dog food from the Hoover Avenue address.

Denby declined further comment.

A Dayton police log said police were "investigating a call about an injured pit bull with dog-fighting injuries having walked out of a wooded area. When the crew checked the wooded area, they found what appeared to be a dog-fighting training area."

The log also said Animal Control officers called Assistant City Prosecutor Stephanie Marsh and were advised to obtain a search warrant. Animal Control then requested assistance in getting the warrant for the Hoover address and another on Mia Avenue to seize the pit bulls "and various dog-fighting training equipment, records, and vet supplies."

The log did not list what was found at the Mia Avenue address.