Post by RealPitBull on Apr 2, 2008 8:57:50 GMT -5
32 pit bulls seized from home; officials suspect dogfighting
By LYDA LONGA
Staff Writer
DAYTONA BEACH, FL -- An anonymous complaint about drug activity at a run-down house led police to a dusty yard with 32 pit bulls investigators believe were being used for dogfighting.
One of the pit bulls had to be destroyed almost immediately because it was in poor health, Humane Society officials said Tuesday. Some of the dogs had scars and bleeding wounds.
Two of the animals -- named Sunshine and Sweet Pea -- were older and had large tumors on their bodies that hung like fruit from a tree. Sunshine also had a deformed foot police say may have once been broken, then neglected.
Tuesday afternoon, many of those canines sat in or paced around in cages at the Halifax Humane Society. Seeking attention, they wagged their tails and pressed their noses up to the thin metal bars.
The animals -- 27 adult pit bulls and pit bull mixes and five pit bull puppies -- were seized from a house at 632 Tucker St., where three people were also hauled off to jail on several drug charges, police said.
According to Humane Society officials, the dogs, though friendly and playful, probably won't be offered up for adoption and likely will be destroyed.
"The dogs are not in good shape; they were used to fight," said Humane Society spokeswoman Michelle Pari. "Dogs that are trained for dogfighting usually are not put up for adoption because they could be dangerous, no matter how loving they are.
"It will be up to a judge to decide how long they're here and what happens."
Pari also said Saturday's seizure of that many pit bulls -- especially those trained for fighting -- is not uncommon in Volusia County, something she called "a big problem."
"We see that several times a year," Pari said, shaking her head. "Thirty-two is about an average number."
Becky Wilson, director of the county's Division of Animal Services, said most people who use pit bulls for fighting keep a large number of dogs. She said the county generally handles one to two dogfighting cases a year. In the agency's only seizure so far this year, Animal Services workers took five dogs from one owner.
A judge recently ruled that the animals were not to be returned to the owner, Wilson said.
On Tuesday afternoon in Daytona Beach, one of the pit bulls' owners said he would lobby to get his animals back and denied the dogs were being trained for fighting.
"I love all those dogs," said Theodore Lock, who lives at the Tucker Street house and whose nephew was one of three suspects charged with drug violations Friday. "We were breeding those pit bulls; we just want puppies to sell."
The dogs were removed Saturday morning after the Volusia County sheriff's Narcotics Task Force went to the residence to serve a warrant.
Sheriff's spokesman Brandon Haught said detectives had received an anonymous complaint about drug activity at the house in February, and once an investigation was done, the task force moved in to arrest Tharvellus Walker, Tiffany Ferguson and Michael Hill. Walker and Hill were still in jail Tuesday night. Ferguson posted bail over the weekend. The three have criminal records that include drug violations and theft, court records show.
Of the three, only Walker lives at the Tucker Street address where the dogs were confiscated, the report shows.
Once inside the residence, where Walker's mother Wylene Walker also lives, the task force spotted the dogs and called Daytona Beach police.
While the pit bulls looked well-fed, Daytona Beach officer Elizabeth Devlin wrote that many of the dogs had fresh scars on their faces, bodies and necks. Devlin said some of the animals' injuries were "still bleeding."
One dog had swollen eyes and a bloody gash over its head, the report states.
Sweet Pea, one of the pit bulls with a tumor, was tied up in front of the house.
Devlin also said there were "homemade kennels" throughout the yard with very little ventilation and dogs confined with thick, heavy chains. She said some of the dogs had no water, and some had water bowls filled with leaves and algae.
All the dogs -- including the five puppies -- were living in their feces and urine, Devlin said. Also, the puppies had swollen bellies because of worms.
"When I gave the puppies water, they quickly drank and finished three full water bowls," Devlin said in the report.
Police said they also found several items used for dogfighting, inside and atop the family's refrigerator. The items included syringes, antibiotics and muscle- and body-building supplements.
Walker's brother -- who refused to identify himself -- also vehemently denied any connection to dogfighting.
"We keep that many dogs for friends who have gone to jail," he said. "Two of the puppies did have injuries, but those were yard accidents."
Police spokesman Jimmie Flynt said residents at the Tucker Street house were served with a subpoena Tuesday morning. A hearing where the animals' fate will be decided by a judge is scheduled for later this month.
lyda.longa @news-jrnl.com
By LYDA LONGA
Staff Writer
DAYTONA BEACH, FL -- An anonymous complaint about drug activity at a run-down house led police to a dusty yard with 32 pit bulls investigators believe were being used for dogfighting.
One of the pit bulls had to be destroyed almost immediately because it was in poor health, Humane Society officials said Tuesday. Some of the dogs had scars and bleeding wounds.
Two of the animals -- named Sunshine and Sweet Pea -- were older and had large tumors on their bodies that hung like fruit from a tree. Sunshine also had a deformed foot police say may have once been broken, then neglected.
Tuesday afternoon, many of those canines sat in or paced around in cages at the Halifax Humane Society. Seeking attention, they wagged their tails and pressed their noses up to the thin metal bars.
The animals -- 27 adult pit bulls and pit bull mixes and five pit bull puppies -- were seized from a house at 632 Tucker St., where three people were also hauled off to jail on several drug charges, police said.
According to Humane Society officials, the dogs, though friendly and playful, probably won't be offered up for adoption and likely will be destroyed.
"The dogs are not in good shape; they were used to fight," said Humane Society spokeswoman Michelle Pari. "Dogs that are trained for dogfighting usually are not put up for adoption because they could be dangerous, no matter how loving they are.
"It will be up to a judge to decide how long they're here and what happens."
Pari also said Saturday's seizure of that many pit bulls -- especially those trained for fighting -- is not uncommon in Volusia County, something she called "a big problem."
"We see that several times a year," Pari said, shaking her head. "Thirty-two is about an average number."
Becky Wilson, director of the county's Division of Animal Services, said most people who use pit bulls for fighting keep a large number of dogs. She said the county generally handles one to two dogfighting cases a year. In the agency's only seizure so far this year, Animal Services workers took five dogs from one owner.
A judge recently ruled that the animals were not to be returned to the owner, Wilson said.
On Tuesday afternoon in Daytona Beach, one of the pit bulls' owners said he would lobby to get his animals back and denied the dogs were being trained for fighting.
"I love all those dogs," said Theodore Lock, who lives at the Tucker Street house and whose nephew was one of three suspects charged with drug violations Friday. "We were breeding those pit bulls; we just want puppies to sell."
The dogs were removed Saturday morning after the Volusia County sheriff's Narcotics Task Force went to the residence to serve a warrant.
Sheriff's spokesman Brandon Haught said detectives had received an anonymous complaint about drug activity at the house in February, and once an investigation was done, the task force moved in to arrest Tharvellus Walker, Tiffany Ferguson and Michael Hill. Walker and Hill were still in jail Tuesday night. Ferguson posted bail over the weekend. The three have criminal records that include drug violations and theft, court records show.
Of the three, only Walker lives at the Tucker Street address where the dogs were confiscated, the report shows.
Once inside the residence, where Walker's mother Wylene Walker also lives, the task force spotted the dogs and called Daytona Beach police.
While the pit bulls looked well-fed, Daytona Beach officer Elizabeth Devlin wrote that many of the dogs had fresh scars on their faces, bodies and necks. Devlin said some of the animals' injuries were "still bleeding."
One dog had swollen eyes and a bloody gash over its head, the report states.
Sweet Pea, one of the pit bulls with a tumor, was tied up in front of the house.
Devlin also said there were "homemade kennels" throughout the yard with very little ventilation and dogs confined with thick, heavy chains. She said some of the dogs had no water, and some had water bowls filled with leaves and algae.
All the dogs -- including the five puppies -- were living in their feces and urine, Devlin said. Also, the puppies had swollen bellies because of worms.
"When I gave the puppies water, they quickly drank and finished three full water bowls," Devlin said in the report.
Police said they also found several items used for dogfighting, inside and atop the family's refrigerator. The items included syringes, antibiotics and muscle- and body-building supplements.
Walker's brother -- who refused to identify himself -- also vehemently denied any connection to dogfighting.
"We keep that many dogs for friends who have gone to jail," he said. "Two of the puppies did have injuries, but those were yard accidents."
Police spokesman Jimmie Flynt said residents at the Tucker Street house were served with a subpoena Tuesday morning. A hearing where the animals' fate will be decided by a judge is scheduled for later this month.
lyda.longa @news-jrnl.com
I look forward to learning much here