Post by RealPitBull on Apr 29, 2008 7:41:22 GMT -5
City to hold seminars to stem dogfighting increase
BY STAN FINGER
The Wichita Eagle
Daylong seminars on animal fighting will be held over the next two days as Wichita city officials strive to stamp out an apparent increase in the illegal activity.
The seminars are geared toward law enforcement and animal control officers from around the metropolitan area.
"We have a significant problem with pit bulls," said Kay Johnson, director of environmental services for the city of Wichita. "They're biting and attacking more. They end up in our shelter more often than other breeds.
"We are getting tough on this," she said. "We don't want this in our city."
Because the illegal practice primarily takes place in basements and backyards, Johnson said, it is difficult to track and quantify.
The sense that more dogfights and cockfights are being held is supported more by anecdotal evidence than anything else, officials said.
"I think there are more cases" being reported "because people are starting to speak up," said Jennifer Campbell, a spokeswoman for the Kansas Humane Society.
"I think the Michael Vick case really made people more aware _ 'I didn't realize that still went on,' " she said of the NFL quarterback's conviction on charges linked to dogfighting.
Over the years, pit bull bodies have ended up near Barry Sanders Field on East 13th Street, in the Planeview neighborhood in southeast Wichita, and near the river along North Arkansas, city officials have said.
In 2003, someone left about 10 dead pit bulls in Grove Park, near 28th and Grove, and police suspected dogfighting was behind it.
And in July 2006, police seized nearly 70 pit bulls from a home in the 2300 block of East Shadybrook.
The dogs' owner and his lawyer denied that the dogs were being used for fighting. But a city official said the dogs bore injuries that appeared to be from fighting and said the home had equipment like that used to condition fighting dogs.
"I've had, in the past, people call me and say, 'My neighbors have three pitbulls in their backyard, and they have these huge weights and chains on them all the time,' " Campbell said.
That's a common practice among owners conditioning their dogs for fighting, Johnson said, along with putting dogs on a treadmill to build up their endurance.
"I told them, 'Call the city. Let them know,' " Campbell said. "Give them a chance to investigate."
Because other forms of criminal activity are typically associated with dogfighting, she said, it's important for people to report it if they see activity that might suggest dogfighting is occurring, she said.
"It also protects themselves," Campbell said.
Reach Stan Finger at 316-268-6437 or sfinger@wichitaeagle.com.
BY STAN FINGER
The Wichita Eagle
Daylong seminars on animal fighting will be held over the next two days as Wichita city officials strive to stamp out an apparent increase in the illegal activity.
The seminars are geared toward law enforcement and animal control officers from around the metropolitan area.
"We have a significant problem with pit bulls," said Kay Johnson, director of environmental services for the city of Wichita. "They're biting and attacking more. They end up in our shelter more often than other breeds.
"We are getting tough on this," she said. "We don't want this in our city."
Because the illegal practice primarily takes place in basements and backyards, Johnson said, it is difficult to track and quantify.
The sense that more dogfights and cockfights are being held is supported more by anecdotal evidence than anything else, officials said.
"I think there are more cases" being reported "because people are starting to speak up," said Jennifer Campbell, a spokeswoman for the Kansas Humane Society.
"I think the Michael Vick case really made people more aware _ 'I didn't realize that still went on,' " she said of the NFL quarterback's conviction on charges linked to dogfighting.
Over the years, pit bull bodies have ended up near Barry Sanders Field on East 13th Street, in the Planeview neighborhood in southeast Wichita, and near the river along North Arkansas, city officials have said.
In 2003, someone left about 10 dead pit bulls in Grove Park, near 28th and Grove, and police suspected dogfighting was behind it.
And in July 2006, police seized nearly 70 pit bulls from a home in the 2300 block of East Shadybrook.
The dogs' owner and his lawyer denied that the dogs were being used for fighting. But a city official said the dogs bore injuries that appeared to be from fighting and said the home had equipment like that used to condition fighting dogs.
"I've had, in the past, people call me and say, 'My neighbors have three pitbulls in their backyard, and they have these huge weights and chains on them all the time,' " Campbell said.
That's a common practice among owners conditioning their dogs for fighting, Johnson said, along with putting dogs on a treadmill to build up their endurance.
"I told them, 'Call the city. Let them know,' " Campbell said. "Give them a chance to investigate."
Because other forms of criminal activity are typically associated with dogfighting, she said, it's important for people to report it if they see activity that might suggest dogfighting is occurring, she said.
"It also protects themselves," Campbell said.
Reach Stan Finger at 316-268-6437 or sfinger@wichitaeagle.com.
I look forward to learning much here