The next day there was another one. And then two more.
“I’ve seen dogs thrown there before,” he said. “But never mutilated like that. This was something out of the blue, and I was trying to get them out of there before people saw it. To me, any animal that gets torn up like that is overdone. No animal deserves that.”
Shiplet’s discovery of four dead dogs – all missing a rear leg and showing signs of severe bite marks and at least one of which was strangled – led the Animal Control Division to suspect they were used as “bait dogs” in a dogfighting ring.
A couple of days later, two dogs were found walking in the same area, also exhibiting signs of abuse related to dogfighting. One of those dogs died; the second survived.
Animal Control Director Erik Tanner said it’s common for dogfight trainers to find a friendly dog – usually online for free – and use it to give their dogs fighting experience. He suspects the six dogs had been restrained with a choker so they couldn’t fight back and used as practice for dogs being trained to fight.
If you have info
A $10,000 reward is offered for information leading to arrest and prosecution. Call 877-548-6263.
Tanner said it’s common for bait dogs to have marks on their necks consistent with being strung up like a pinata for the fight dogs.
“The only explanation I can give (for the removed leg) is it may have been the last thing the dog was pulling on,” Tanner said. “Then they cut it off and give it to them as a reward and dispose of the rest of the body.”
Tanner contacted Animal Protection New Mexico, an animal advocacy group, and the group has offered a $10,000 reward to anyone who provides information that leads to an arrest and prosecution in connection with the case.
During the 13 years he’s worked in Animal Control, Tanner said he frequently gets calls alleging a dog is being used for fighting, but he’s never had a call where he could say for sure that was the case.
Until now.
“I’ve not seen them all clustered like this,” Tanner said. “You see random evidence of – not what you’d call a professional fighter – just some punk trying to get street cred. The same injuries mean it’s the same person who did it to at least these four. There were significant puncture wounds, not just a few bites here or there. They were mauled all over by dog teeth.”
The aspect of the discovery that Tanner said surprises him the most is the location where the dogs were dropped. Normally, dogs involved in fighting would be disposed of in the desert where they couldn’t be found.
Tanner said he’s gotten plenty of tips, a handful of which he’s pursuing, as well as plenty of community outrage.
“Seeing a dog brutalized is one thing,” he said. “Seeing it done by the hands of a human is another thing. A dog didn’t use a knife to cut off the legs, and a dog didn’t strangle another dog. The injuries are very consistent with bait dogs.”
Out of the six dogs, the lone survivor is an American pit bull now called Eddie. He was taken to a dog sanctuary in the East Mountains on Monday.
Robin Nichols, an operator at Daisy Farm Sanctuary in Tijeras, said Eddie is one of six dogs at her 16-dog sanctuary that exhibit signs of dogfighting, five of which are from Valencia County.
Daisy Farm houses dogs from around the state that are unable to be adopted due to medical issues or being older dogs.
“He was extremely emaciated,” Nichols said. “He had really severe pressure wounds on his little tushie, a lot of scar tissue, and a little bit of the emotional baggage that will go along for a bit as he heals. He was probably 37 pounds then, now he’s up to 52 and still extremely skinny. He’s probably going to be about an 82-pound dog. Physically speaking, he needs a good three months before the wounds have healed and he’s up to weight.”
Dogfighting was made illegal in New Mexico in 1981. It is a fourth-degree felony in the state and punishable by up to 18 months in jail and a $5,000 fine.
Alan Edmonds, the cruelty case manager from Animal Protection of New Mexico, said he gets a fair amount of calls about suspected dogfighting rings, but it’s hard to speculate about how common the practice is.
“I’m sure this is not something that Valencia County folks support, and it’s not something that New Mexico supports,” Edmonds said. “It’s been legislated against. So the people that are doing this are not a majority. They’re just a sick minority of people who are willing to do this kind of activity to try to make some money at the expense of the suffering of animals.”
(Albuquerque Journal - Feb 9, 2015)
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