Salt Lake City police and officers from Salt Lake County Animal Services are called to investigate a possible case of dogfighting. When they arrive at the house, they ask permission to look in the basement.
They find bloodstains on a heater, floor and wall on the south side of the basement, according to a report from Animal Services. A bedroom on the north side has blood on two walls; several puppies, about 2 weeks old, are in a closet, the report stated.
Four of the pit bulls, including the mother, have puncture marks and tears to their legs, faces and necks, according to the report. Other items in the basement include a barbell with teeth marks, medical supplies to treat cuts and a treadmill designed for dogs.
That discovery was in September 2001. It's just one example of a problem that rarely gets public attention because of its ultrasecretive nature: dogfighting.
A dog's life
To some, dogfighting is a sport with gambling and lots of money involved. To others, it is a sick form of entertainment.
Two dogs are put in a small walled-in area and fight until one dog is dead or can't continue. In most cases the bouts turn into a fight to the death, said Animal Services Lt. Troy Wood. In nearly every case the dogs are pit bulls.
To many, dogfighting is nothing but an extreme form of animal abuse. Even if the losing dog isn't killed, in many cases it dies several days later.
Chicago Police Sgt. Steve Brownstein addressed the problem in a recent article at www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/sadreality.html.
"The dogfighting business is a bloody gruesome spectacle in which one animal tears the other apart. When dogs lose fights, owners who are angry about losing money on them often throw their animals into garbage dumps or put them into vacant apartments to die slow, agonizing deaths from infection, starvation or dehydration," he wrote.
Some owners don't wait for their losing dogs to die a slow death — they are burned alive for losing, Brownstein wrote.
Staging fights is illegal in every state and a felony in 46, including Utah, according to the Humane Society. That's why those involved in the illegal professional dogfighting circuit are tight-lipped about their activities.
Locally, investigators say it's hard to gauge how prevalent the problem is because it's so underground. But "if it happens just once, it's a big problem," said John Fox, an investigator with the Utah Humane Society.
Dogfighting remains secret because no outsiders are allowed in the circuit unless by personal invitation from someone already involved, said Fox. The location of fights usually isn't revealed until the last minute to maintain thatsecrecy, he said.
But investigators say they know it exists. Every so often an abandoned dog with cuts and scars all over its face or a dog that's missing an ear or a tail will be brought into the shelter.
"I know (dogfighting) is a problem," said Sandy Animal Control officer Rich Bergan.
Community at risk
Not only is dogfighting cruel to the animals involved, but dogs bred to be that aggressive also pose a risk to the community. Breeders will sometimes allow their fighting dogs to attack neighborhood strays for "practice," Wood said.
Sometimes dogs bred for fighting even attack small children. In April, 3-year-old Brianna Penney was severely injured when her face was ripped open by a pit bull at Liberty Park. Police found fighting paraphernalia in the home of the dog's owner, and two West Valley residents were later charged with dogfighting and child abuse. The case is scheduled to go to trial in January.
Today, Brianna has several large scars on her left check and a few on her right. She has had two operations, including skin grafts taken from her thighs to help her face heal, and she still has at least one more operation to go.
Her mother, Christine, said her daughter still has nightmares about the incident. Her 2-year-old son who witnessed the ordeal is still angry over it.
But the attack has not made Brianna afraid of dogs. In fact, the family was recently looking at adopting a pit bull puppy. Brianna's favorite Rottweiler died of cancer recently. Now the family, which already owns one Rottweiler, is looking to take another into their house.
"It's not the dog's fault at all, it's the owner," Christine Penney said. "(The dogs) don't have the choice of whether they want to fight or not. They train them to fight, and that's all they know. It's irresponsible owners. It's inhumane to fight dogs."
Because these dogs are bred to be extremely aggressive, animal control officers are usually left with no other choice but to euthanize the animals once they are discovered and taken to the shelter.
Children raised around dogfighting are taught to believe it's acceptable to inflict cruelty to animals and often develop an aggressive behavior of their own, according to the Humane Society.
Dogfighting recently grabbed headlines in Salt Lake City when 72-year-old John Clinton Smith was arrested in October and charged with several counts of dogfighting and enhanced cruelty to animals. Animal control officers call Smith one of the biggest animal abusers they've seen in the past 20 years.
In addition to professional fights, investigators are seeing more gang members strutting their dogs and challenging the dogs of other gang members in informal matches.
"It's very common for gang members to get together to see who has the baddest dog," Fox said.
Those people usually refer to their dogs as "pick-bulls" or "rock-welders," added Bergan. "Gangs and gang-type people see pit bulls as a macho thing to own," he said.
Salt Lake County Sheriff's detective Brady Cottam, a member of the Metro Gang Unit, said he hasn't seen many gang members involved with dogfights locally. But he has seen a rise in the number of pit bulls found in the homes of suspected drug dealers.
What to watch for
Investigators say the public can be a big help in exposing dogfighting and curtailing it. Residents should keep their eyes open for dogfighting paraphernalia used for training and conditioning such as treadmills with harnesses, barbells with teeth marks and heavy chains put over dogs' necks for strengthening. A common practice is letting dogs hang onto trees or ropes with their mouths to strengthen their jaws.
Trainers may try to find other dogs, cats or small animals in the neighborhood to use as a "sacrifice." They'll hold fights in their basements or let their unleashed dogs attack another dog while going for a walk and then make up an excuse about the dog accidentally getting loose, Wood said.
"They'll sacrifice street dogs so they get some fighting experience," he said. "Neighbors should listen for excessive growling or if a dog turns up missing in the neighborhood."
If neighbors spot a house where a lot of people with pit bulls are gathering they should take down license plate numbers and document the types of cars and descriptions of people at the house. Many fights are held in abandoned houses, garages, barns or isolated warehouses.
There will usually be sounds of cheering, growling and barking in a party-like atmosphere. Residents should also look for people transporting dogs in the trunks of their cars.
Some breeders will advertise their dogs with hidden messages geared toward fighters. One California flier obtained by the Salt Lake County Animal Services advertises pit bulls "for the experienced owner of aggressive breeds" and "for the lover of a large dog that has an aggressive tendency."
Animal control officers say dogfighting is especially big in Arizona, Texas and California and believe many Utah breeders go to those areas for competitions.
But just because a person owns a pit bull doesn't automatically mean that person is involved in fighting. Legitimate breeders are quick to point out that pit bulls get a bad rap in the media when attacks are reported. The dogs are naturally strong but can also be good family pets if bred in a nonaggressive nature.
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