Leo Borton drills holes for the gate hinges as other Fences for Fido volunteers work on new dog houses and the rest of the fencing going up to give Lucy and Taz a safe place to run free at their home. Photo By Bill Wagner
Month after month, no matter the weather, the 4-year-old pitbull was left outside chained to a tree in an overgrown yard near West Side Highway.
The heavy choke-collar around Lucy’s thick neck was padlocked to her chain.
No new smells, no new scenery. Sometimes her chain tangled, and the friendly tan-and-white dog couldn’t reach her ramshackle little shelter, leaving her exposed to the rain and the cold.
“We’d always slow way down so we could see what she was doing,” said Lexington resident Erin Fields, 31, who began tossing Lucy rawhide bones last December.
Fields’ heart ached for the lonely dog. She called the Humane Society but was told as long as Lucy had food, water and shelter, they couldn’t intervene.
Indianapolis, Ind. — Indianapolis police say they’ve busted the biggest dog fighting operation they’ve ever seen. Nearly two dozen people were arrested and nine dogs rescued in the 3000 block of West 60th Street just after 10:30 on Friday night.
The bust comes after an extensive investigation by both local police and federal officials with the Department of Agriculture. Undercover agents infiltrated the dog fighting arena built inside the garage of the home. Once the fighting began, they signaled SWAT officers.
What they found inside was an underground world of dog abuse and betting that few people could imagine happening here.
“Surprised, honestly,” said Thomas Arvin, who lives across the street from the house. “I did not see it coming.”
BUENA PARK — A dozen pit bulls who were on their way to Mexico to take part in a dog fighting ring were rescued by Buena Park Police Monday.
Police officers spotted a van driving without a front license plate around 9 a.m. Monday and told the driver to pull over, according to Sgt. Bill Kohanek.
Officers discovered the twelve dogs inside the van and questioned the driver. He told them the animals were on their way to Mexico, Kohanek said.
Kohanek said the driver and passengers were part of a legitimate animal transport service and were not arrested.
The dogs appeared to be clean and well cared for, Kohanek said. They ranged in age from three months to three years old and are valued up to $20,000.
Investigators say they traced the dogs through their implanted chips to notorious dog fighters in the United States and Mexico.
LITTLETON, Colo. — A Littleton neighborhood is on edge after a coyote attacked and nearly killed a woman’s dog Saturday morning.
These attacks are becoming more and more common.
According to the Colorado Division of Wildlife, in the wild where they are actively hunted and trapped, coyotes are generally elusive. Near cities or in areas where hunting and trapping is not allowed, coyotes may be aggressive. In urban settings, they can lose their fear of people and may even threaten domestic pets.
They’ve even attacked children recently. One young boy in Erie had to receive rabies shots for several weeks after an attack.
Coyotes are being spotted more in alleys and open spaces, attracted to things like open garbage and bird feeders.
Buster is a Chihuahua-Terrier mix. He was attacked Saturday morning.
Imagine walking into your bedroom to find a strange man standing in your doorway, how frightening would that be? Well, that was exactly what happened to a Fort Carson, Colorado solider one night.
Fortunately, her pit bull was by her side while the the chaos happened. After the intruder refused to leave, her pit bull promptly chased the intruder out of the residence.
Police officers responded quickly after the incident happened that night. K9 Unit was able to get to the scene as Canine Officer P. Strevett and his partner Cole went to work. It wasn’t long before the male suspect was found hiding under a vehicle parked in a garage, in the 1600 block of E. Bijou Street.
COLUMBUS – A ”pit bull” would no longer be deemed an inherently vicious dog by virtue of its existence under a bill overwhelmingly passed by the Ohio House Thursday.
The measure now heads for the Senate, which is unlikely to deal with the issue before lawmakers recess for the summer next week.
“I’m offering this amendment to ensure that we’re not capturing, impounding, and terminating an animal simply based on its breed,” said Rep. Matt Szollosi (D., Oregon).
“It is unjust to punish owners by taking their pet even if they have raised a well-behaved, family friendly dog,” he said.
Baltimore police are searching for three boys — believed to be ages 10 to 12 — who were seen beating a young pit bull to death at Carroll Park golf course Saturday.
And if that’s not a disturbing enough new chapter in Baltimore’s continuing saga of animal abuse, consider this: According to a Baltimore Sun report, Animal Control officers didn’t arrive at the golf course until more than five hours after the incident was reported to police.
A golf course maintenance worker, Rob Whiderman, saw the youths beating the puppy with a tree branch at the municipal golf course in Southwest Baltimore.
DENVER — A gray 75-pound pit bull is making Denver’s pit bull ban not so black and white.
Sky is a service dog for Army veteran Glenn Belcher. Belcher suffers from anxiety and a stress disorder from serving in the Gulf War. He uses Sky as his service dog.
“He’s my companion and he’s my best friend,” said Belcher. “I need help up and down stairs at times. He carries my medications for me.”
Sky wears a yellow vest with the words “Service Dog.” Other than that, you may not know he was anything but a pit bull.
“When I do walk him, I never walk him without his packs,” said Belcher.
Belcher moved to Denver from Palm Desert, Calif., where Sky was legally allowed in the city. Denver has banned pit bulls since 1989.
