Dogfighting and its links to : Drugs, gangs and violence.

just found this.
can't believe a whole year has gone by already....

Subject: Major expose on dogfighting, drugs, murder connections in TX paper
Date: Thu, 18 Oct 2007 09:59:35 -0400

http://www.star- telegram. com/news/ story/271752. html


Thursday, Oct 18, 2007
Posted on Thu, Oct. 18, 2007
Dogfighting linked to drugs, gangs, violence

By JACK DOUGLAS JR.
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

Editor's note: Listen and watch as a confidential informant describes the culture of dog-fighting in Texas. The video contains disturbing scenes of illegal dogfights, in short clips provided by the Harris County Constable's Office. <HR>CLEVELAND - It has been more than a year since a 7-year-old Texas boy was made to watch as his father bled to death from a bullet wound to the leg. His infant brother and their mother also witnessed the shooting. The brutality of the case has made seasoned law enforcement officers cringe as they continue to search for the killers of Thomas Weigner, a known dogfighter and pit bull breeder who was tortured to death inside his rural home in Southeast Texas. Hundreds of miles away, and across an even wider gap in wealth and background, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick faces sentencing Dec. 10 on federal charges of breeding and fighting dogs. The two very different high-profile cases have stunned state, local and federal investigators into realizing the scope of organized dogfighting across the country. Investigators in Texas and in Virginia, where Vick pleaded guilty, have worked closely to learn more about the hidden world of breeding, selling and fighting pit bulls. Several of the officers in Texas spoke to the Star-Telegram on the condition that they not be identified because of the sensitive nature of the investigation. Dogfighting has gone virtually undetected by law enforcement for years, investigators said, and they now realize that the criminal activity is booming throughout the country, with the trafficking of fight-worthy dogs coexisting with drug trafficking, street gangs and violence. It is a cruel sport, the officers say, which lures the poor and the very rich, the prominent and the obscure, rural residents and urban dwellers. The tip of the iceberg Citing Vick's plea agreement, which requires him to "cooperate fully and truthfully ... and provide all information known to the defendant regarding any criminal activity ... ," several well-informed officials said they expect him to provide the names of other dogfighters, possibly including other professional athletes, in hopes of reducing his prison sentence. Neither Vick's lead attorney, Billy Martin of Washington, D.C., nor an official with the U.S. attorney's office in Richmond, Va., responded to a request for comment A Texas investigator said there could be one connection between the Vick and Weigner cases. Vick reportedly bought two pit bulls from a man now in a Texas jail on unrelated drug charges who is believed to have been involved in, or at least have information about, Weigner's slaying. John Goodwin, deputy manager over animal cruelty issues with the Humane Society of the United States in Washington, said the Vick case and Weigner's killing are only the tip of the iceberg in a criminal underworld that has "boomed in size and scope, particularly in our urban areas" during the past decade. "Law enforcement is starting to recognize that dogfighting is nothing more than a cruel form of recreation for criminals," Goodwin said. This year alone, the Humane Society has documented more than 130 major incidents related to dogfighting, including the slaying of a breeder in North Carolina, where 30 pit bulls were seized, and another killing near Portland, Ore. A child was attacked in Oklahoma by a pit bull that had been bred to fight; a "massive round" of dogfighters and drug dealers were arrested in Kentucky; and postal carriers temporarily stopped delivering mail to a Detroit neighborhood because of the frequency of pit bull fights in the middle of the streets, the Humane Society said. Dogfighters as victims Authorities have also been told about "crews" of robbers with inside knowledge about high-stakes dogfights who follow the big winners to their homes, threaten them and make off with their winnings. One such heist, according to the officers who talked to the Star-Telegram, reportedly occurred in or near Fort Worth, where a woman was tied up, doused with gasoline and threatened with fire until her husband led the robbers to his $200,000 in dogfight winnings. The couple may have been followed from as far away as Nashville, the investigators said. But such acts of violence are seldom reported to police because of the victims fear retaliation from dogfighting criminals. And the account of the home invasion in or near Fort Worth, made by an informant who has since died from a drug overdose, did not reach police until after word spread about the horrific events on the night of Aug. 1, 2006, which led to Weigner's death. As many as three gunmen broke into Weigner's house near Cleveland, 40 miles northeast of Houston. Three hundred pit bull terriers were later found on the property, 30 of them caged or chained. Weigner was shot in the leg and bled to death in front of his 7-year-old son. Weigner's wife, holding their infant son, was also forced to watch as the assailants tortured her husband. Another of the couple's small children was in another part of the house as were the woman's parents, who had been tied up. The intruders made off with as much as a $500,000, including $100,000 that Weigner was believed to have won in a high-stakes dogfighting match near Houston, investigators say. Weigner's death, they were told, may have at least partly been in retaliation for a botched drug deal, which included the accidental burning of $450,000 in drug money. The cash, hidden in the wheels of a vehicle that traveled from New York to Texas, was destroyed by friction and road heat, a police informant said. Looking for a connection Overwhelmed by a flood of tips about illegal dogfighting, but stymied in their search for Weigner's killers, investigators say they want to talk to William David Townsend, an acquaintance of Weigner's and suspected dogfighter who is being held in the Montgomery County Jail in Conroe on unrelated drug charges. Attempts by officers to interview Townsend at length have failed, officials said. "He's on their radar screen as being involved or having knowledge," said Townsend's attorney, Steve Jackson of Conroe. The police, Jackson added, are wrong. But several law enforcement sources say they have been told in the course of the investigation that Townsend and Weigner were associated, both in dogfighting and in the cocaine trade. Police suspect that Townsend sold two pit bulls to Vick for $2,000 apiece, according to a law enforcement source. "We were told that Vick had been out there to Townsend's house" near Conroe, the source said.
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2nd part:


http://www.star- telegram. com/metro_ news/story/ 271877.html


Thursday, Oct 18, 2007
Posted on Thu, Oct. 18, 2007
Animal shelters seeing effects of fighting

By JACK DOUGLAS JR.
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
They can be tail-wagging pets whose bark is worse than their bite. Or they can be snarling beasts trained to kill. Pit bull terriers have in recent years equally captured the hearts of dog lovers and dogfighters, fueling a spike in the pit bull population that is straining animal shelters across the country. Up to 75 percent of the 25,000 dogs impounded each year by Dallas Animal Services are pit bulls or pit bull mixes, many bearing fight scars, said Paul Curington, the department's operations manager. "Over the last three to four years, the pit bull has become somewhat of a high-commodity animal, a high-profile animal. It's sort of a fashion statement," Curington said. But that popularity, animal-rights advocates say, often goes far beyond the desire to have a devoted pet. Gamblers are willing to steal and kill for the dogs because their strong legs and even stronger jaws make them the most lethal fighters. Proven champions can sell for $25,000 on the black market, said John Goodwin, deputy manager of animal fighting issues for the Washington-based Humane Society of the United States. And bets of $100,000 on a fight are "not the least bit unheard of," he said. Pet pit bulls are frequently stolen and forced to fight, breed or be the "bait" in a sparring match with a stronger dog, officials said. At the Fort Worth-based Humane Society of North Texas, incoming pit bulls, like other dogs, are spayed or neutered and injected with a electronic identification chip in hopes of discouraging theft, operations director Tammy Hawley said. Other shelters take the additional step of filing down the teeth of impounded pit bulls, officials said. And many shelters require home inspections -- much like the ones conducted in child adoptions -- before a pit bull is adopted out. "A lot of folks, when we tell them that, they say, 'Never mind,'" said James Bias, president of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Texas. Pit bulls are growing not only in numbers but also in size, Bias said, noting that dogfighters are beginning to breed the normally 40-pound animals with much larger dogs, like the 110- to 150-pound Neapolitan mastiff. And no longer is there a sort of gentleman's agreement among dogfighters that they "wouldn't fight dogs that would turn on people," said Fred Sanderson, director of Irving Animal Services. Instead, the often mild-mannered pit bulls are being trained to be more aggressive, turning them into potentially "lethal weapons ... in the hands of an irresponsible pet owner," Sanderson said. Dogfighting is a truly cruel sport involving both the poor and the rich, said a former Texas dogfighter and breeder who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he fears retribution. "You've got your guys that if their dog quits, they'll generally just throw them off to the side and shoot them in the back of the head. Or hang them from a tree. Or electrocute them," said the former breeder, who got out of the business four years ago. At a dogfight, he said, "Some of the people are your common, everyday folk. Some of them are the meanest, most vicious people you'll ever meet in the world ... and they'll all be in the same room. "There's no discrimination; there's no racism. It's all green money. Drugs. ... Everything you want is there. It's all relevant. "They would sell their best car to buy that dog's life if he's a dog that would not stop in the box," the former breeder said. "But it's got to be a dog that will fight to his death. He will not stop. He will not quit. "He has to be a true killer."

 

I bought the paper today.:mad:

Edit: If anyone gives a shit about thier personal yard. You will close the circles and quit selling and placing within the public. Why give these ppl an open invatation to ruin a good part of your life.

 

I bought this paper today too. The breeder I got my pup Ammo from called me today and told me that this was in the paper. I have sent the star-telegram an e-mail in respose to this article not that it'll make much of a difference but every little bit helps. I basically sent them the fact that their are still responsible owners and breeders out there. I quoted resources and sent them links to certian kennels that are in my mind responsible and breeding correct APBT's temperment wise, and conformation wise. I gave them plenty of examples of responsible ownership of this breed. I've also let everyone in my area that owns APBT's I know about this article so that they had a chance to respond as well, because the dogs can't speak for themselves.

Thanks for posting this Suki.....

 

What a thread for a first post.


let me say that I was introduced to "bulldogs" by my grandfather back in the 80's, although I couldnt tell you what bloodlines, but the dogs we had were all rednose, maybe not OFRN though.

Anyway, the links of drugs, crime, murder and such with dogfighting have always been there. When the opportunity to make money through an illegal venture is involved, criminals step up to the plate. Al Capone made his money , and killed many many people, over alcohol. When prohibition ended, the criminals weren't able to make money with the booze, and found other avenues to get money.

As far as dogfighting goes....I have to say that these dogs that are truly "game" are not as numerous as gamebred dogs who aren't game, but a bulldog who is "game" will always die to get at another dog when presented with it.
I do not condone abuse of animals, but people like my PawPaw who saw the worth in these dogs in hunting and pit work respected the determination, fearlessness, and toughness of these dogs. The will to fight another dog is as integral a part of their DNA as breathing. I have always believed that the only responsible way to care for this breed is to preserve its working heritage. We see what is already out here with the "pits" with 22 inch heads that stand 20 inches tall. Pretty sad IMHO. Justice for this breed is only served when responsible breeders look for and further the traits desired in the past, not by byb's who advertise "Blue pittbulls...huge head, 4 inch legs..awesome dawgs". I respect catahoula dogs, ridgebacks, and any dog that will tree a racoon. There are appropriate places for fluff and fancy in the dog world....My mother has always kept pekingese, although the health problems with them are widely known. Cute has it's place, but for APBT's, the only thing I look for in my dogs are good temperament with me and my sons, proper bite, and desire to do what I ask of it. I could care less if my dogs were polka-dot, and ugly as homemade sin...as long as they were true to their roots.

The saddest thing for the APBT is ithe fact that is is the most tremendous dog in the world. They make such fantastic pets that I cant blame people who have never been around the "game" side of the dog falling in love with the breed. Over the years though, I think far too many people have come to own APBTs, most start with getting sub par animals from a large number of craptastic breeders out there. No real homework is being done into the dogs they are buying....and we see the results.

Whenever I walk Angel, my 45lb Red Devil/Jeep bitch, it is without fail that someone, usually about 15-17 years old, tells me how awesome she is, and askes if his "tiger striped pit can run up in" my dog.

I do not see the trend towards unsavory characters owning these great dogs ending any time soon.

 

I'll take this opportunty to welcome you to the Forum Mr. Billfold. I agree with most of what you're saying above...good post.

Post some pics of that gyp soon...I am curious as to how she looks. Also (judging by this excerpt) I recommend you go through this thread. http://www.game-dog.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22649
You'll laugh a bit and it will raise your blood pressure, but I think you might have someting to add to its content from your experiences with those kids.

Again welcome to the forum, and happy posting.

 

I don't know if i understand it right but this is sick.

""Other shelters take the additional step of filing down the teeth of impounded pit bulls, officials said.""

What the f***K do they torture the dogs by getting their teeth out of the mouth?! This is a realy crazy world. Letting a dog face a hog is the the most cruel thing humaniacs say but filing down the teeth isn't! And they call their self humane!

 

Yeah, it sounds cruel. How cruel, depends on the thier aproach to this procedure.

It would be interesting to find out just how this procedure is being performed.

 

Report: Pit bull attacks child in Seagoville


[size=-1]06:06 PM CDT on Wednesday, October 24, 2007

[/size]

[size=-1]By WFAA-TV Staff Reports[/size]


SEAGOVILLE - A child was reportedly attacked by a pit bull around 5:30 p.m. Wedensday.

An ambulance was on the scene at North Watson Street.

No information has been given yet on the extent of the child's injuries. More details to come.


http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/latestnews/stories/wfaa071024_mo_pitbullattack.1a22fd1b9.html


As long as these types of accident's keep happening, we can expect to see more articals such as this one that started this thread.