Pair used dogfighting terms in ad selling pit bull pups, prosecutor says

Tucson,AZ -- A prosecutor says an Avra Valley couple actively bred pit bull puppies for use in dogfights, but defense attorneys claim the case was fabricated.

Mahlon Thatcher Patrick and Emily Elizabeth Dennis, both 64, are charged with two counts of dogfighting and 21 counts of animal cruelty.

Judge John S. Leonardo of Pima County Superior Court heard opening statements Wednesday in the bench trial, which is expected to carry over into next week.

Deputy County Attorney Lewis A. Brandes told Leonardo about evidence that Patrick and Dennis used dogfighting terms in advertising their puppies for sale.

For instance, Brandes said, the couple's Web site proclaimed "Don't Get Counted Out," which is used in dogfighting when a dog refuses to fight and is counted out of the match.

He said Patrick, the breeder, prided himself on having "game," which meant that his dogs would engage in fighting.

"Game is the name of the fame for these people," Brandes said, invoking the name of an old TV show.

"That's how they make their money," he said. "How they got to be one of the top dog breeding combinations in the country."

Defense attorneys Mark R. Resnick, who represents Patrick, and Thomas E. Higgins Jr., who represents Dennis, said there is no case against their clients.

"This is really about law enforcement misunderstanding what was going on and using those vagaries and innuendos to make a case where there is no case," Resnick said.

Patrick loves the pit bull breed, which is why he went into breeding, Resnick said.

"He did what any responsible breeder does and made people sign a contract saying if you sell the dog, it's not to be used for the purpose of fighting," Resnick said.

He likened Patrick's situation to that of a gun manufacturer who can't track a sold gun to make sure it isn't used in a crime.

Resnick told Leonardo an expert will testify that, with the exception of two dogs seized from Patrick, the dogs were socialized.

Higgins told Leonardo that the state won't be able to prove the couple intended the dogs to be sold for fighting. There wasn't a fighting pit on the property and there was no training on site to teach the dogs to fight, he added.

Higgins said experts will just testify that some of the dogs had marks that "could be indicative" of fighting. In one case, Higgins said, a mark on one dog occurred when he was nursing and his mother nipped him.

"To paraphrase Shakespeare and Sherlock Holmes, the game is afoot," Higgins said, meaning the chase for the villain has begun.

The veterinarian who cared for the dogs will testify that he wouldn't have allowed the animals to be used for fighting, Higgins said.

The couple operated on a large piece of property owned by Dennis' mother, where dozens of dogs were kept in kennels, Brandes said.

"These weren't for pets," he said, "because these dogs were not given socialization."

Brandes noted that when law enforcement officers raided the property earlier this year, only one leash was found for 110 dogs.

In February, officials from the Pima Animal Care Center and Pima County Sheriff's Department, along with southern Arizona and national representatives from the Humane Society converged on four sites where 150 dogs were seized, the Citizen previously reported.

In addition to Patrick and Dennis, deputies arrested Robert Clayton Smith, 56; Terry Lee Williams, 53; Juan Rudolfo Verdin, 40; and Zenaida Yvonne Verdin, 40.

Juan Verdin recently pleaded guilty to attempted dogfighting; wife Zenaida, pleaded guilty to cruelty to animals. Leonardo is set to sentence them Nov. 26.

Smith and Williams are scheduled for a jury trial in February before Judge Michael J. Cruikshank.

http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/local/102405.php

 

Does he expect them to buy 110 leashes?

 

Thats what I was thinking, I sure dont have a leash for every dog I own.

 

What is anyone doing with 110 dogs? The money it would take to run a facility like that properly would be huge. Not that there is anything wrong with it but having 110 dogs is going to raise an eyebrow or two no matter what breed.

 

Geez, now I'm embarrassed. I've got about a dozen leashes for my 3 dogs. Different leads for obedience, ADBA shows, walks, etc. LOL

 

I'm still curious to hear what happens to raided2 and his wife. Just because you plead don't mean it's going to be too sweet. I have a feeling though it will be a mild sentence. I hope it is as it appears for Patrick, not a case.

 

I will be updating this thread and keeping everyone informed

 

Well, it's official: the prosecutors are morons. Complete and utter misinformed morons. I am now dumber from having read the crap that they claimed

 

In one sentence it says they are socialized, in the next it says they aren't.

Yeah, I have three leashes, and six dogs. Does that mean I don't walk all of them? Could it be I don't walk them all at the same time? :rolleyes:

I wonder why they pleaded guilty.

 

Tucson,AZ -- It's day one in the trial of a man and woman accused of masterminding a massive fight-dog breeding operation.

In February SWAT teams raided four homes in Pima County and seized about 150 Pit bulls.

They arrested six people including Mahlon Patrick and Emily Dennis, who are charged with animal cruelty and dog fighting.

As the trial started, attorneys from both sides summarized their cases.

Prosecutor Lewis Brandes admitted, "We don't have any smoking guns or any dogs in the pits." Instead, Brandes says he'll try to convict Dennis and Patrick with evidence that includes documents taken from the defendants, their website and testimony from dog fighting experts.

Attorneys for Patrick and Dennis insist there is no case. They say the pair bred and sold Pit bull puppies, but did not fight them and even required buyers to sign papers stating they wouldn't fight them.

"Those dogs were bred. They were sold as puppies. They weren't trained to fight," says Mark Resnick, Patrick's attorney.

The defense attorneys argue holding dog breeders responsible for dog fighters would be like holding gun sellers responsible for gun buyers who commit crimes.

Tom Higgins, the attorney for Dennis, says, "There are people that buy these dogs that use them improperly, just like people who buy guns that use them improperly."

There is one thing both sides did agree on. Higgins says, "Dog fighting is despicable. It's disgusting and it ought to be stopped."

The trial is expected to last eight days. It's being held without a jury. Instead, Judge John Leonardo will hear the testimony and then issue a verdict.

http://www.kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=9340024&nav=HMO6HMaY

 

what a piece of crap dogfighters should get stiffer sentences

 

....... TROLL!

 

What make's someone a dogfighter in your eyes ?

 

BIG TIME TROLL


EVERY POST CHECK IT OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Agreed. Must we school you again in your utter lack of knowledge about this breed, john?

 

who is john frank , sounds more like barney frank lmao

 

oh and john i hate to ruin your week but mr patrick was acquitted, and it is because of people like u who dont know shit about game bred apbt and who rush to judgement that it has become so difficult to own these dogs, a better site for u would be diane jessups , also i am willing to bet u just like to look at pitbulls becuase their so muscular and it turns u on

 

I'm curious to why they had 110 dogs. That's a lot of dogs, in my opinion.
But like someone said earlier; making a big scene about having one leash for 110 dogs is crap. I have one leash, and five dogs. Animal cruelty, much?

 

Young lady, Ive been involed with taking care of more dogs than this, all by myself so I can assure you it can be done :rolleyes:

 

Are you serious? Wow. That's alot of dogs. I have a time taking care of my 5 dogs by myself. Haha. I couldn't manage it.