It’s always a good start to the day when you read about a dog-fighting operation getting busted. There aren’t many situations when I find myself rooting for the cops, but this is one of them. On the other hand, every bust reminds me just how many of these people are still out there, so that kind of levels out the high pretty quickly. Back to the caffeine and loud music.
But today I found reports of two dog-fighting operations getting busted in separate cities, which is definitely something to cheer about.
In Minneapolis, the Star Tribune reported that police raided several locations that they believe were run by one suspect, who had not yet been named at the time of this writing. Police believe that the person rented several houses where he stored the dogs and other supplies. Authorities seized 10 adult Pit Bulls and five puppies as well as drugs, guns, and a manual on how to train dogs for fighting.
Sgt. Lindsay Herron, an animal crimes investigator for the police, told the Star Tribune that she’s been investigating this case for the past 18 months.
“It’s been a long, ongoing problem,” she said. “The participants are willing, and the only victims don’t have a voice. So the only way that you’re tipped off is driving through alleys; you can kind of see doghouses that fit the description that’s mapped out in the manual.” The investigation is continuing, because the police don’t know where the fights were being held.
Meanwhile, in Baltimore, the CBS affiliate WJZ-TV reported that police raided two locations and found 26 dogs that were being used for fighting. Baltimore police officer Patrick Huter described a scene worthy of a horror movie inside one of the houses: “Blood splattered on carpets and walls,” he told WJZ. “An actual ring where the dogs were being fought. Dogs were chained to the walls.”
Eleven adult dogs and four puppies were found in that house.
Unlike the case in Minneapolis, it seems that the operators of the houses in Baltimore didn’t do much to conceal what they were doing. One neighbor, Tandre Bey, had seen injured and bloodied dogs around the house.
“One of them … was missing a leg. That one died,” said Bey. “Other dogs had bits and pieces of their ears, blood dripping. I don’t even think he cleaned them up.” Five people were arrested, and at least three are certain to face animal abuse charges.
As stomach-churning as the imagery is, I’m breathing a sigh of relief just knowing that these operations have ended.
Via Star Tribune and CBS News
