Venturing beyond a rickety privacy fence Jan. 28, Hillsborough County Animal Services discovered 26 pit bull terriers chained and living in appalling conditions. The dogs were part of a suspected dog-fighting ring. The privacy fence was located in the middle of a field, behind a house on Colson Road.
“A lot of these dogs had significant wounds, were extremely bloody, intertwined in chains and immobilized,” said Marti Ryan, animal services public information officer. “It was clear that some of them had just been in a scrap.”
The dogs were anchored to rebar with short heavy chains. Their unstable shelters were made of wood pallets.
Many of the dogs were females used for breeding. With dog-fighting rings, breeding females aren’t used as much for fighting. Other dogs were also younger and in better condition. They had new collars, some with the tags still on, which caused animal services to the question if this was a new ring beginning to take shape.
Hillsborough County Animal Services received an anonymous tip about the ring, which led to the search.
The owners of the house weren’t home at the time of the search. No charges have been filed yet, but Ryan said that doesn’t mean there won’t be charges. The case is still active.
“It’s very sad, it’s very disturbing, but we take it seriously, and it is never ignored,” Ryan said.
The profile
Dog-fighting rings such as this happen all over the nation and transcend gender, cultural and ethnic lines. According to The Human Society, there are more than 40,000 people involved with organized dog fighting in the U.S.
Hillsborough County Animal Services has an 11,000-square-mile area to manage, not just for animal fighting, but for abused and homeless animals, too.
“It’s a barbaric sport that is ever present,” Ryan said. “It occurs through a wide demographic of people. This is not something that is new to us.”
The Jan. 26 bust was only the most recent ring to be discovered in eastern Hillsborough County. Just two months ago, another ring in Seffner was discovered, and seven dogs were rescued. But, there were potentially hundreds of dogs that had been buried on site.
“Rings are often held in rural areas because it is easy to deflect and hide,” Ryan said.
But the rings aren’t limited to just rural areas. The rings can move around — and do move around to avoid discovery.
There are three different levels of dog fighting: street, hobbyist and professional. Aptly named, street fighting is more informal and impromptu, often taking place in alleys. Hobbyist fighters are more organized with the intent to make money and provide entertainment. Professionals have a large number of animals and earn money from breeding, selling and fighting the dogs.
Ryan said there are a number of mobile intelligence units that animal services works with to find out about the rings.
Rescued: the next step
Rescuing animals from rings or abusive situations is just the first step in the long process of rehabilitation.
Once animal control removes the animals from an abusive situation, they are provided with immediate medical care.
Dogs rescued from fighting rings often live in squalor and are susceptible to parasites and infections. Blood conditions are common illnesses found in the rescued animals.
The animal will stay in animal control’s care while animal control seeks custody of the animal in the court system.
Without custody of the animal, animal control can not care for it further, but once custody is granted, the agency can assess the animal for behavior and temperament, and it can be spayed or neutered. The process of custody can take months.
Animal control receives about 21,000 animals per year. When a group of animals comes in all at once, such as the 26 pit bulls from Colson Road, they take up more spots in the shelter.
“All these things can strain our resources,” Ryan said. “There’s a responsibility on staff to feed the animals and clean the shelter. We don’t just have animals from rings or abuse, but we have homeless animals, people who drop off their pets because they’re moving or in the military.”
After they learn more information about the animal’s behavior, it can be placed in a more open situation where it can go on walks or, in some cases, socialize with other animals, if it is deemed safe.
“The notion that these animals are not rehabilitative is completely false,” Ryan said.
Instead of going to the pet store to buy a pet, Ryan encourages people to come to the shelter.
“In the path for justice, it is important for the public to come to the shelter and pick out their next best friend,” Ryan said.
Suspect something?
The 26 pit bulls from Colson Road were saved thanks to an anonymous tip. Although the dogs were isolated behind a privacy fence in the middle of a field, there were several residences around the home, but that still doesn’t mean it was a neighbor who alerted authorities.
“We don’t know if it was from a neighbor, occupant or service person,” Ryan said.
Ryan said that many people who tip off animal control complain of noise and possible animal abuse.
Signs of abuse include visible wounds, scarring on their face and skin issues. Signs of fighting include scarring on the face, front legs, hind-ends and thighs. Puncture wounds, swollen faces and mangled ears are also prevalent signs.
Other signs of dog fighting include dogs, namely pit bulls, on heavy chains, sometimes with padlocks. If a home has multiple pit bulls that are not neutered and are abused or unsocialized, there is a possibility they are being used for dog fighting.
Drugs commonly found in connection with illegal dog-fighting operations include dexamethazone (steroid), amoxicillin and ampicillin (antibiotics), Canine Red Dog (iron supplement), and Wintrol-V (steroid).
To report suspicious activity, call the Hillsborough County Animal Services at 813-744-5660 or email info@hillsboroughcounty.org. When Animal Services’ dispatch operators are unavailable, the Animal Cruelty Reporting Tip Line allows concerned citizens to forward information during certain nighttime and weekend hours. The Animal Cruelty Reporting Tip Line may be reached at 813-744-5550.
Citizen tips may remain anonymous, however a valid address will be vital for officers responding in the field.
Activity can also be reported by calling 911 or local law-enforcement agencies.