HUGE DOGFIGHTING BUST IN TEXAS!!!!

Go TEXAS!!!! I love the headline.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/6113088.html


Police deal 'death blow' to large dog fight ring
By JUAN A. LOZANO Associated Press Writer © 2008 The Associated Press
Nov. 14, 2008, 4:37PM

HOUSTON — Authorities broke up Friday what they called one of the largest dogfighting rings in the country, arresting eight people — including a school teacher — filing charges against four dozen more and seizing at least 168 dogs.
"A lot of people in Texas still believe that dog fighting is entertainment," Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Lisa Block said. "We are here to tell you it is not entertainment. It is a crime."
The ring spanned five counties — Matagorda, Tyler, Jasper, Montgomery and Harris — and involved dog fights with as many as 100 spectators at a time who bet on the contests, officials said.
DPS officials and prosecutors would not describe the ring in detail because they said they were still looking for about 43 suspects. All, including the eight arrested Friday, were charged with engaging in dog fighting, a felony. Drug and gambling-related charges are pending, said Harris County Assistant District Attorney Belinda Smith.
Among those arrested Friday was Jay Andrews, 37, a teacher in the Aldine Independent School District in Houston.
Andrews has taught English at an alternative school for four years and was arrested at the school early Friday, said district spokeswoman Leticia Fehling. He will be reassigned to duties outside the classroom until the criminal investigation is over, she said.
A Harris County Jail spokesman said Andrews had not been processed yet so no lawyer's name was listed.
The eight people arrested Friday — after a 17-month investigation — were ringleaders, involved in some of the more "egregious" fights or were also involved in drug activity, Smith said.
Smith said most of the dogs were pit bull terriers or mutts that were part pit bulls. They were bred specifically for dog fighting by several owners. Many of the 168 dogs seized in three counties on Friday were injured.
Block said veterinarians were examining the dogs and that a judge would decide their fate.
Authorities said they have not completely shut down the operation because they're still searching for other suspects, but Smith called Friday's arrests a "death blow" to the ring.
Block said authorities called it one of the nation's largest dogfighting rings based on the number of people involved, the number of spectators and the value of the bets placed.
The seven other men arrested Friday were being held in the Harris County Jail.
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Associated Press Writer Monica Rhor contributed to this report.

Dogfighters trying to post on this blog

Humorously, a known dogfighter tried posting on this blog. Nice try Emily Dennis. I traced your IP number right back to you. Instead of attacking people that are trying to save the animals you abuse, you should be getting ready for your criminal trial.

HSUS saves pit bulls, but dogfighters are to blame for pit bull bans

This year OK, OH, MN, FL and a few other states all had bills introduced to ban pit bulls and other breeds. While some pit bull registries like the ADBA, which have questionable ties to dogfighters, claim they are the ones in the forefront of defeating breed specific legislation, it was HSUS that had staff on the ground to defeat all of those bills. No other organization had staff actively lobbying against pit bull bans in all of those states. ADBA certainly wasn't there fighting the good fight.

HSUS also has filed an amicus brief in Denver challenging that cities pit bull ban.

HSUS speaks out against pit bull bans and BSL in the media, and educates lawmakers as to why those things are a bad idea.

And yet, some people that claim to care about pit bulls deliberately lie and claim HSUS is out to eradicate the breed. Could it be the people making those claims are dogfighters that desperately want to discredit people that genuinely care about animals? Hmmmm???

One could make the argument that groups like ADBA, AADR, and others like them actually fuel pit bull bans by giving a wink and a nudge to dogfighters rather than actively condemning those criminals.

When a city council member reads a Richard Stratton book about pit bulls, he can't be blamed for thinking dogfighting is what this breed is for. Since dogfighting is illegal, it doesn't take long for that same city council member to conclude the pit bull has lost his usefulness in modern society.

Plus, dogfighters activities paint the pit bull breed as a vicious monster, even though the dogs are the victims of the crime, not the perpetrators of the crime.

The best thing that could happen for the pit bull breed is for the fad to end. No more dogfighters, no more crappy backyard breeds, and just responsible owners that provide love and care for their dogs. That would save this breed from being banned nationwide. So let's do it. Let's put the dogfighters out of business and save the pit bull!