Discovery of dead dog points to fighting contests, authorities say

Muncie, IN -- The discovery of a dead pit bill - with duct tape binding its snout - in a trash can behind a shuttered restaurant this week has convinced local authorities that illegal dog fighting continues in Muncie and Delaware County.

The mauled condition of the dog's body and the duct tape - to prevent the dog from biting - convinced the superintendent of the Muncie Animal Shelter that the pit bull had been used by dog fighters.

"This dog has definitely been used as a bait dog for training fighting dogs," Karen Gibson said.

Muncie police began their investigation Tuesday, just hours after the pit bull's remains were found in a Toter behind a former Chinese restaurant on South Madison Street.

Delaware County Prosecutor Richard Reed - whose office has pursued animal cruelty charges unrelated to dogfighting several times in recent years - said he had not heard about the discovery of the dog's remains.

"It makes me sick," Reed said. "I thought (dogfighting) was gone, but it may be back."

Promoting an animal fighting contest has, since July 2002, been a class D felony in Indiana.

Dogfighting - in which dog owners and spectators gather in remote locations or empty buildings to bet on brutal contests between dogs - often involves using smaller or helpless animals for training.

Gibson said she believed the male pit bull found this week was such a training dog.

The brown and white dog was found with duct tape around its neck and muzzle so it couldn't defend itself. The dog's front legs were torn, presumably by another dog.

Although dogfighting can involve any type of dog, pit bulls - more formally known as pit bull terriers - are often used.

Gibson said the Muncie Animal Shelter receives several pit bulls each month and half of them, she said, have scars that would indicate they are used as fighting dogs.

Lisa Rich of Helping Animals Receive Mercy (HARM) - a local group that works with a city police officer in responding to reports of animal abuse or neglect - said her group has seen evidence of dogfighting during its investigations.

"We've been pretty close to dog fights before," Rich said. "We showed up on the scene right after a dog fight, and a dog died right after we got there."

Rich noted that the Humane Society of the United States offers rewards for information leading to the prosecution of dogfighting suspects.

Contact news reporter Keith Roysdon at 213-5828.