Thread: More Than 200 - Dogs Suspected Of Being Bred For Dogfighting

http://www.nbc5i.com/news/9700028/detail.html

More Than 200 Seized Pit Bulls Ordered Euthanized
Dogs Suspected Of Being Bred For Dogfighting

POSTED: 9:37 am CDT August 18, 2006
UPDATED: 9:43 am CDT August 18, 2006

HOUSTON -- A Liberty County court has ordered euthanasia for more than 200 pit bull terriers that were seized from a suspected breeding operation for dogfighting.

Liberty County Justice of the Peace Phil Fitzgerald issued the order Thursday after a hearing that included a veterinarian's testimony that pit bulls trained for fighting usually cannot be rehabilitated as pets.

Authorities seized 285 pit bulls from a home in Liberty County, northeast of Houston, on Aug. 2 when they were investigating a fatal home invasion. Investigators said Thomas Weigner, 27, the owner of the 23-acre property, bled to death after being shot in the leg. His wife, Julie Laban, their three children and her parents witnessed the shooting while bound with tape.

Investigators said the three masked intruders searched the property for money.

Of the 285 dogs, Fitzgerald ordered those under the age of 6 months to be sold at auction. The veterinarian said those 60 dogs could be reformed. If the pups don't sell, they should be put up for adoption through the Humane Society, Fitzgerald said.

The 285 dogs were the most ever taken into custody by the Houston Humane Society, spokeswoman Courtney Frank said. If carried out, the euthanasia of more than 200 of them would also set a record.

Frank said the Humane Society has had trouble with people trying break in and steal the dogs.

Investigators valued the dogs at as much as $1 million and said Weigner had a reputation among dogfighters for raising valuable breeding stock.

"We've also had a lot of people whose hearts have been touched and want to adopt these dogs," Frank said.

Dick Wheelan, a Houston lawyer representing Laban, said his client has denied the dogs were bred to fight. Laban was not present at the hearing. Wheelan said he would discuss with her a possible appeal.

Wheelan argued Laban may not have been aware of the breeding operation and should not be prevented from receiving inheritance from her husband's estate.

Assistant County Attorney Mark Beausoleil introduced photographs and other evidence intended to show that the dogs were cruelly treated and bred to fight.

He said the property included a large tank with 6-foot walls, where dogs could be trained for endurance by placing them to swim without a way to escape.

Many of the dogs were staked on short chains so they were close enough to squabble but not touch eachother, which an investigator said is a method of teaching aggression.

Dr. Timothy Harkness, the Humane Society's chief veterinarian, said the dogs were severely neglected. Many of the dogs suffered from hunger, hair loss, eye infections and parasitic worms, he said. Five of the dogs have died since coming into the Humane Society's custody.
Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved

Now this is where a breed gets blamed when it's the owner who should be put on a short leash and thrown in a tank of water.

I don't like pit-bulls but I certainly don't want them to be abused like this.

I realize some consider this a wonderful "sport". I'd like to throw the trainer and owner right in a deep pit with the dogs. The dogs are going to have to be destroyed anyway.....just seem fair the money makers get a taste of their creation and the dogs get a last say.

I'm not a PETA kind of person but people who purposely breed or hurt animals for this kind of entertainment are sick SOB's and should be dealt with accordingly.