Mathis is determined to see his dogs come back home after they were taken by authorities.
He says an investigator came to his home on Tuesday to check out the property without speaking to him. On Thursday morning, his dogs were seized and Mathis says he’s done nothing wrong.
“All I did was have more than one pit bull outside,” says Mathis. “If it's a crime to have a dog outside then I committed that.”
Mathis said he thinks it’s a case of targeting a breed.
“People have a prejudice,” he said. “But just because they don’t like a breed of dog doesn’t give you the right to do underhanded stuff. It’s not just me; it’s so many others (who’ve been targeted.) I was cooperating with the whole thing because there’s nothing wrong – this is the truth. But they took my truth.”
Authorities found the dogs behind his home in cages and in dog chains. They also found evidence in connection to dog fighting.
“Is it against the law to own a treadmill? Is it against the law to own a hide? Is it against the law to own a flirt pole? Is it against the law to own a pit bull? But you have these things together and all of a sudden you are a dog fighter.”
Mathis says he loves these dogs like they are part of the family.
“Take a look at those animals, you'll see for yourself, there's nothing going on here,” Mathis explains.
“These are the dogs that they took, these animals, puppies.”
He says pit bulls get a bad reputation from the media, but he just wants his dogs back home.
“It's a loving breed, I can’t say enough about the animals, so I wouldn't do anything to put them in harm’s way.”
The Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office says they are waiting to get evidence back from the Virginia
Animal Fighting Task Force before they move forward with the investigation. At this point, no charges have been filed.
(The Charlottesville Newsplex - Jan 17, 2014)
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