KENTUCKY -- It’s a terrible case of alleged animal cruelty. According to police reports, a pit bull was dragged behind a car and now one man is behind bars facing serious charges.
Officers say the pit bull had blood on its face and obvious bite wounds. That dog got away from them before they could help it. But, tags on the car led officers to six more dogs that needed their help at a house on Hemlock Street.
According to a police report, officers found a blood trail leading from the front door to the vehicle. Inside the house, they found six more dogs. They were seized and taken to Louisville Metro Animal Services.
“We’re caring for those dogs right now,” said LMAS Senior Manager Margaret Brosko. “Thankfully, they’re in decent condition. We’re just monitoring their health, a couple of them were underweight. We’re just going our best to care for them.”
A search warrant turned up paraphernalia that could be used in dog fighting and marijuana. LMAS says the dogs have scarring and minor wounds. Police arrested 28-year-old Daniel Forbes on charges of cruelty to animals and possession of marijuana.
[In a different video clip, reporters spoke to a woman at the residence. She insists that Forbes was simply a "visitor" and that ALL of those battle-scarred pit bulls were "strays" which had just shown up. Wow, that's amazing. Most people may have the occasional stray cat or Shepherd mix show up, but this woman had nothing but "stray" pit bulls show up at her property. What are the chances of that happening??]
Victims of possible dog fighting have been making headlines recently. A pit bull now named Frodo was found tied to a fence, badly injured, with duct tape around his muzzle earlier in the summer. But, Brosko says the attention may be a good sign.
“Dog fighting has been going on for generations. The good news is, people are becoming more aware of the signs,” she explained. “They’re more aware that this is going on and people are becoming more compassionate and saying, this is unacceptable.”
A few weeks ago, LMAS and LMPD underwent training to help identify the signs of dog fighting.
“That’s a great opportunity for all of us to collaborate to be able to identify different signs, work together, and really bring these people to justice,” said Brosko.
Dog fighting rings can be incredibly tough to crack and investigators rely on people in the community to be their eyes and ears. “Unfortunately, animals are our voiceless victims,” Brosko said.
“They can’t talk to us, they can’t tell us what’s going on, so we really rely on the community for help.”
If you see someone who owns multiple dogs that are kept separated and are aggressive toward each other, call LMPD or LMAS and they will investigate.
(WHAS - Aug 23 2013)
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