Marty
12-28-2004, 05:13 PM
Hilton Head Island, SC -- There's a canine problem that has done more than nip at Hilton Head Island's ankles lately, according to some residents on the north end of the island.
Aggressive dogs allowed to run loose in north-island neighborhoods have been blamed for killing two goats and a dog, maiming another dog and chasing a woman from her driveway into her garage, according to recent Beaufort County Sheriff's Office reports.
One man even told deputies he saw pit bulls put together to fight. Local authorities, however, said they did not think organized dogfighting was occurring on the island.
"Evidence of fighting on dogs that come in is typically very easy to see, both new and old scars," said Hilton Head Humane Association executive director Steve Oliver. "We haven't seen any evidence."
The local reports come during Attorney General Henry McMaster's ongoing crackdown on animal fighting. Last month, a Charleston County man, reputed to be one of the world's most successful breeders of fighting pit bulls, was sentenced to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to dogfighting and planting a trap that injured a land surveyor last spring.
Earlier this month, the Attorney General's Office announced the arrest of three Chester County residents on charges of animal fighting and attending an animal fight. They were accused of having dogs and hogs fight each other in a blood sport known as hog-dog fighting.
While the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office said it may get the occasional report of dogfights, Sheriff P.J. Tanner said some dogs are unfairly characterized.
"Because of the breed, they're automatically condemned as being fighting dogs," Tanner said. "(That's) not to say there hasn't been an isolated incident from time to time."
A more pressing problem, according to some local residents, are attacks by dogs running loose without a leash. Recent reports show:
# A dog was killed at a home on Mitchelville Road and another was mauled on Trigger Fish Trail early on the morning of Nov. 13. According to an eyewitness, the dogs were attacked by two pit bulls.
# Two goats were killed and others were wounded in a yard on Katie Miller Drive at about 5:45 p.m. Nov. 20. The goat's owner, Tom Barnwell, said some of his goats have been killed in dog attacks in the past few years. In one incident, five goats died, Barnwell said.
# A woman who lives on Squire Pope Road said she was attempting to load her car in her front yard when two pit bulls chased her inside her garage at about 5:50 p.m. Nov. 15. A neighbor said a few weeks earlier he had seen a group of young people putting together male and female pit bulls, allowing them to mate and pulling them apart. Then they would have the males fight, he said.
The owner of the 3-year-old Chow Chow named Fuzz Ball that survived the Nov. 13 incident called the incident "isolated." Marc Argetsinger said he did not fault the owners of the dogs that were roaming loose and had not seen the dogs lately.
But, Argetsinger said, Fuzz Ball still bears evidence of the confrontation.
"He's still got a bad limp on the front leg," he said. "He's still got missing fur and stuff."
So far, Argetsinger said, he has spent nearly $300 on treatment, not counting medicine. The treating veterinarian said he was not aware of any other maulings.
"This is the only one that I know of recently," said veterinarian Mark Doran of Plantation Animal Hospital on Dillon Road.
Aggressive dogs allowed to run loose in north-island neighborhoods have been blamed for killing two goats and a dog, maiming another dog and chasing a woman from her driveway into her garage, according to recent Beaufort County Sheriff's Office reports.
One man even told deputies he saw pit bulls put together to fight. Local authorities, however, said they did not think organized dogfighting was occurring on the island.
"Evidence of fighting on dogs that come in is typically very easy to see, both new and old scars," said Hilton Head Humane Association executive director Steve Oliver. "We haven't seen any evidence."
The local reports come during Attorney General Henry McMaster's ongoing crackdown on animal fighting. Last month, a Charleston County man, reputed to be one of the world's most successful breeders of fighting pit bulls, was sentenced to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to dogfighting and planting a trap that injured a land surveyor last spring.
Earlier this month, the Attorney General's Office announced the arrest of three Chester County residents on charges of animal fighting and attending an animal fight. They were accused of having dogs and hogs fight each other in a blood sport known as hog-dog fighting.
While the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office said it may get the occasional report of dogfights, Sheriff P.J. Tanner said some dogs are unfairly characterized.
"Because of the breed, they're automatically condemned as being fighting dogs," Tanner said. "(That's) not to say there hasn't been an isolated incident from time to time."
A more pressing problem, according to some local residents, are attacks by dogs running loose without a leash. Recent reports show:
# A dog was killed at a home on Mitchelville Road and another was mauled on Trigger Fish Trail early on the morning of Nov. 13. According to an eyewitness, the dogs were attacked by two pit bulls.
# Two goats were killed and others were wounded in a yard on Katie Miller Drive at about 5:45 p.m. Nov. 20. The goat's owner, Tom Barnwell, said some of his goats have been killed in dog attacks in the past few years. In one incident, five goats died, Barnwell said.
# A woman who lives on Squire Pope Road said she was attempting to load her car in her front yard when two pit bulls chased her inside her garage at about 5:50 p.m. Nov. 15. A neighbor said a few weeks earlier he had seen a group of young people putting together male and female pit bulls, allowing them to mate and pulling them apart. Then they would have the males fight, he said.
The owner of the 3-year-old Chow Chow named Fuzz Ball that survived the Nov. 13 incident called the incident "isolated." Marc Argetsinger said he did not fault the owners of the dogs that were roaming loose and had not seen the dogs lately.
But, Argetsinger said, Fuzz Ball still bears evidence of the confrontation.
"He's still got a bad limp on the front leg," he said. "He's still got missing fur and stuff."
So far, Argetsinger said, he has spent nearly $300 on treatment, not counting medicine. The treating veterinarian said he was not aware of any other maulings.
"This is the only one that I know of recently," said veterinarian Mark Doran of Plantation Animal Hospital on Dillon Road.