Marty
02-06-2005, 11:49 AM
Cincinnati, OH -- There is growing concern in Kentucky counties that a recent increase in the number of missing dogs could be connected with dog-fighting rings.
Police in Hopkins and Webster counties say they are looking into tips that some of the dogs reported missing may have been stolen for use as "bait dogs" in illegal dog fights, in which pit bulls are used.
"It's a very, very cruel thing they do," said Maj. Keith Stine of the Providence Police Department. "If they're training a pit bull, they'll agitate the fighting dog and throw an animal in the ring with it, and they'll let the fighting dog actually just chew this other dog up to give them that taste of blood and success. It would be like putting me in the ring with Mike Tyson."
Stine estimates that 40 to 50 dogs recently have been stolen in the small Webster County community of Clay, and his department is investigating leads that some of the animals are being used as bait dogs.
"It's just like the old cockfighting arenas that they used to have, and still have in some areas of the country, where people would bet hundreds and even thousands of dollars on these chickens, and they do the same thing with dogs," Stine said.
Hopkins County Sheriff Frank Latham says that his department, already spread thin with investigations of methamphetamine operations, is trying to follow up on tips regarding dog-fighting rings.
However, he said that investigating such rings is time-consuming because those operating the rings often move from county to county, or even outside the state.
Latham's department last year broke up a dog-theft ring that had been operating between Hopkins and neighboring Christian County, but found no evidence linking the thefts to dog fighting. Latham assigned an officer to investigate reports of missing dogs but says tracing dog thieves is time-consuming because it often takes investigators out of the county.
Julie Siegel with the Scott County Humane Society believes that most of the dogs being stolen in Kentucky are used either in breeding operations known as "puppy mills" or in fighting rings.
"It seems like in this state it moves from area to area," Siegel said. "There's quite a network to move these animals around. If they're over in Pike County picking up dogs, the fighting ring could be in Arkansas for all we know."
There has recently been an increase in the number of dogs reported missing or stolen in the Henry and Trimble county area.
Grant County Sheriff Randy Middleton believes that some of the few hundred dogs that have been stolen in his county over the past three years wound up in Ohio.
Middleton's department broke up an alleged dog-theft ring in Grant County a year ago with the arrest of two people who were accused of stealing dogs for breeding.
"The big raid from the property was over 100 animals, a lot of boxer types, poodles and miniature animals," said Jamie Baker-Nantz, editor of the Grant County News.
Belinda Adcock of Pet Lovers United Inc. in Madisonville said that she first learned of local dog-fighting rings from her late father, an underground coal miner in Hopkins County who worked with men who had witnessed the gruesome practice.
"It is a growing problem that will not stop unless our state and local officials take an interest in this, because there's too much money in it," Adcock said. "People have to watch their animals more closely. Putting them out on a chain or a safe restraint, or in a fenced yard, is no longer safe enough for them."
Police in Hopkins and Webster counties say they are looking into tips that some of the dogs reported missing may have been stolen for use as "bait dogs" in illegal dog fights, in which pit bulls are used.
"It's a very, very cruel thing they do," said Maj. Keith Stine of the Providence Police Department. "If they're training a pit bull, they'll agitate the fighting dog and throw an animal in the ring with it, and they'll let the fighting dog actually just chew this other dog up to give them that taste of blood and success. It would be like putting me in the ring with Mike Tyson."
Stine estimates that 40 to 50 dogs recently have been stolen in the small Webster County community of Clay, and his department is investigating leads that some of the animals are being used as bait dogs.
"It's just like the old cockfighting arenas that they used to have, and still have in some areas of the country, where people would bet hundreds and even thousands of dollars on these chickens, and they do the same thing with dogs," Stine said.
Hopkins County Sheriff Frank Latham says that his department, already spread thin with investigations of methamphetamine operations, is trying to follow up on tips regarding dog-fighting rings.
However, he said that investigating such rings is time-consuming because those operating the rings often move from county to county, or even outside the state.
Latham's department last year broke up a dog-theft ring that had been operating between Hopkins and neighboring Christian County, but found no evidence linking the thefts to dog fighting. Latham assigned an officer to investigate reports of missing dogs but says tracing dog thieves is time-consuming because it often takes investigators out of the county.
Julie Siegel with the Scott County Humane Society believes that most of the dogs being stolen in Kentucky are used either in breeding operations known as "puppy mills" or in fighting rings.
"It seems like in this state it moves from area to area," Siegel said. "There's quite a network to move these animals around. If they're over in Pike County picking up dogs, the fighting ring could be in Arkansas for all we know."
There has recently been an increase in the number of dogs reported missing or stolen in the Henry and Trimble county area.
Grant County Sheriff Randy Middleton believes that some of the few hundred dogs that have been stolen in his county over the past three years wound up in Ohio.
Middleton's department broke up an alleged dog-theft ring in Grant County a year ago with the arrest of two people who were accused of stealing dogs for breeding.
"The big raid from the property was over 100 animals, a lot of boxer types, poodles and miniature animals," said Jamie Baker-Nantz, editor of the Grant County News.
Belinda Adcock of Pet Lovers United Inc. in Madisonville said that she first learned of local dog-fighting rings from her late father, an underground coal miner in Hopkins County who worked with men who had witnessed the gruesome practice.
"It is a growing problem that will not stop unless our state and local officials take an interest in this, because there's too much money in it," Adcock said. "People have to watch their animals more closely. Putting them out on a chain or a safe restraint, or in a fenced yard, is no longer safe enough for them."