$5000 Reward For Information On Dog Fighting

November 18, 2008November 18, 2008

$5000 Reward For Information On Dog Fighting

The Humane Society of the United States has doubled its reward to $5000 for information on dog fighting or cock fighting that leads to an arrest and conviction. You can print a copy of the reward poster if you want.

If you have information about illegal animal fighting, you are eligible for this reward. Here are the steps to take.

Call your local police department or animal control agency. Give them as many details as you can about the suspected animal fighting situation.You do not need to give your name to law enforcement to report illegal animal fighting.Tell the law enforcement agency about The HSUS’s reward program.
Get a letter from law enforcement. If the suspected animal fighter is convicted, ask the law enforcement agency involved in the case to write a letter to The HSUS.The letter should state that your tip helped lead to the arrest and prosecution of the convicted animal fighter. The letter should be mailed or faxed to:

Animal Fighting Reward Program
c/o Ann Chynoweth
The Humane Society of the United States
2100 L St. NW
Washington, DC 20037
FAX: 301-721-6414
Call The HSUS for more information. If you have questions about the reward program, please call 202-452-1100 or go to humanesociety.org

November 18, 2008November 18, 2008

What You Can Do About Dog Fighting

Educate yourself about the problem. The Michigan State University College of Law has a very informative page on dog fighting that covers the history, the training, the culture, the societal cost, the criminal links, laws and legal issues, and evidence, including less obvious things such as the drugs/vitamins/medical supplies used. You can also find out about the signs of dog fighting. And the Humane Society of the United States has a FAQ on dog fighting. (Note: None of the these pages have gruesome photos of dogs showing the barbarism of dog fighting. They do have a wealth of information.)

And you can support these groups who are working to end dog fighting:

The ASPCA has a Veterinary Forensics Team and a Mobile Animal Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) Unit that help with animal cruelty investigations across the country.
The Humane Society of the United States is working on innovative ways to stop dog fighting—the End Dog Fighting in Chicago campaign has professional dog training classes for at-risk kids to teach them other ways to relate to their dogs and held a rap concert to promote an anti-dog fighting message.
Here’s a great video showing one of the professional dog training classes in Chicago (there is a very brief scene of dog fighting, but it’s worth it to see these guys connecting with their dogs in a completely different way.)
The Animal Legal Defense Fund was established in 1979 and they work to protect animals by:

Filing groundbreaking lawsuits to stop animal abuse and expand the boundaries of animal law.

Providing free legal assistance to prosecutors handling cruelty cases.

Working to strengthen state anti-cruelty statutes.

Encouraging the federal government to enforce existing animal protection laws.

Nurturing the future of animal law through Student Animal Legal Defense Fund chapters and our Animal Law Program.

Providing public education through seminars, workshops and other outreach efforts.

November 17, 2008

Dog Fighting Arrests

Three news stories about dog fighting today. I always have a hard time researching and writing posts on dog fighting. I see and hear things in news videos that crush my heart and I have to face just how depraved humans can be. And I know it’s hard to read about. But, I think that those of us who share our lives with animals and care about our communities need to pay attention. We need to educate ourselves and we need to act if we suspect dog fighting is taking place.

All three of these raids are unrelated and resulted in numerous arrests & many dogs rescued. In Chicago, police interrupted a dog fight in progress with more than 50 people attending, including two children—13 and 15 yrs. old. One of the dogs was injured so badly that it’s not expected to live. Those attending will face charges and 3 men who organized the fight are being charged with felony dog fighting.

Tennessee authorities raided a dog fighting ring while fights were being staged. 18 people were arrested. Two people attending the fights were under the age of 15. According to the article, dog fights like this are publicized online as “cookouts”. 27 dogs were seized and all but the puppies had wounds and scars from fights, including one dog missing an eye.

This video shows the equipment used to prepare the dogs for fighting like treadmills and weights.

Investigators in Texas have broken one of the country’s largest dog fighting rings following 17 months of undercover work. 187 dogs were seized in 3 different counties. 8 people have been arrested and 47 indicted. Bets on one fight totaled $80,000 with individual bets of $500-$1000 per fight being common. Drugs, guns, and stolen property were also found. A wide range of people attended these fights, including people in the oil business, people arrested for murder & drug dealing, and a school teacher, Jay Andrews, who also played outfield for the Kansas City Royals and the San Diego Padres.

You can see some some of the dogs being removed from a property in this video. While one is clearly aggressive, many of them seem to be friendly or timid. There is video of the undercover work, but it is horrifying and I won’t link to it.

I’m going to go spend some time with my dog and count ourselves lucky that nothing like this happened to her.