Pups' Ears Clipped To Aid In Fighting

Pups' Ears Clipped To Aid In Fighting

POSTED: 10:27 am MDT October 19, 2010

UPDATED: 10:45 am MDT October 19, 2010

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Police are searching for two men who are accused of selling pit bull puppies that were horribly mutilated.

“The city is looking for two Hispanic men, shaved heads, seen hanging around 98th Street and Sage Road Southwest selling pit bull puppies. All these pit bulls have their ears bobbed out, cut off roughly,” Animal Welfare Marketing Manager Rick DeReyes said.

Reyna is just a 2-month-old pup. When she arrived at Albuquerque Animal Welfare, she was in extreme pain because her ears were cut off. In addition to being painful, clipping a dog’s ears can jeopardize their health.

“They can get infections. They can die from it. This is a 2-month-old puppy. This puppy was in extreme pain. It's very, very serious,” DeReyes said.

Unfortunately, the mutilation that these puppies have suffered is not unique. Pit bull’s ears are usually cut off for a fighting.

“The reason they tend to chop off the ears is for pit bull fighting. The ears are too small to grab on to, for a dog to latch on to. That’s why you see a lot of pit bulls with their ears chopped off for fighting,” DeReyes said.

At this point, officials just want to find the other mutilated dogs that the men were selling, so they can care for them medically.

“We need to find these people to stop them from doing it and put an end to the cruelty that they perpetrated,” DeReyes said.

If you have any information about this case, call 311.

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While I find this so very sad that these pups did not have their ears cropped surgically, the inaccuracy of this news article irritates me as well. Dog men did not crop their fighting dogs’ ears because it was not practical. Cropping the ears left too much of the inside exposed which could prove fatal in combat (Joseph Colby). I think the media should do their research so they don’t continue to lead people to believe that bait dogs and cropped ears were used in dog fighting.

As for the puppies, I wish them well and hope they find their forever homes.

From My Google Alerts- October 16, 2010

A man in Russia keeps his dog in his car instead of at his house as most normal people keep their pets. The dog is described as a “large pit bull terrier” and he lives in his owner’s old Volga car. The man says he cannot keep the dog at home. This is just so sad because no dog, especially pit bull type dogs should have to be confined to such a small space. The Russian police have stated that the man is not breaking any laws thus there is nothing they can do about the situation.

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An 11-month-old boy was bitten by the family dog, a yellow Labrador retriever named Fat Boy, in Nebraska last week. The baby, the mother, and the dog were all lying in the mother’s bed until she got up to get something. She then saw the dog bite the child, lacerating his forehead and biting his cheek. The dog will more than likely be put down; however, no breed of dog is mentioned in the article headline.

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In Hillsboro, Oregon, a man was bitten by a police search dog when they responded to a call about a possible break in at an Oregon rock museum. The man has been dubbed the “Moss Man” because he was concealed on the ground by a moss-like camouflage outfit. The “Moss Man” allegedly had secretly cut a hole in one of the building's walls days earlier and was trying to get in. Deputies who responded searched the grounds, finding a bike and a backpack.

"The K9 tracked to a wooded area and was very interested in a particular piece of ground about a half a mile away from the building," Thompson said in a release. "The dog then bit the ground that in turn cried out in pain."

The officer then realized there was a man hiding at his feet, dressed in a "ghillie" suit, Thompson said. A ghillie suit is a head-to-toe camouflage outfit used by military snipers to blend in with vegetation. The man was then arrested and is being held at the county jail.
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In Lebanon, Ohio, two women were attacked and bitten by a German shepherd dog when it approached them while walking down the street. The dog jumped on the 18-year-old woman, biting her arm. The dog turned on the mother when she came to her daughter's defense. The dog’s breed is not mentioned in the headline.
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A schnauzer was killed by a pit bull type dog last week after the pit bull attacked it for the second time in eleven days. Michael Kopynec, the 22-year-old irresponsible owner of the pit bull, was arrested Thursday and booked into East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on one count each of unlawful ownership of a dangerous dog and negligent injuring.
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Carrie Rae McKinney of San Diego will not face charges following the April incident when her 7-month-old son’s genitals were mutilated by her boyfriend’s mixed breed dog. She had left the baby unattended in his car seat on the floor when one of the dogs tore into his diaper. One week prior to this incident, her older two children were removed from the home by Child Protective Services.
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In Detroit, a pit bull was shot and killed when it bit a police officer responding to a call about gunfire between two groups of boys. Police arrived and a pit bull was released. The pit bull bit one of the police officers. That is when the officer shot and killed the dog.

  

From My Google Alerts- October 13, 2010

In Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, an 11-year-old girl was attacked by her neighbor’s dog when she was feeding it. The dog’s breed or type is not mentioned in the article.

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A Brevard County Sheriff’s deputy was forced to shoot and kill a pit bull that charged him in a Port St. John neighborhood. The dog, Hoss, died because of his injuries. Two other pit bulls were at the scene and were returned to the owner without citations.
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In New York, a pit bull, which had eaten a skunk, was euthanized after exhibiting signs of rabies. The Oneida County Health Department tells CNY Central that on September 13 a dog living in Rome killed a skunk. The department says that the dog had ‘consumed’ so much of the skunk that there was not enough left to test for rabies. The dog’s owner was then ordered to quarantine the pet for six month to see if it had contracted the disease. The department says that last week the dog began drooling excessively, refusing food and water, and pacing around the cage. The animal was taken to the Rome Humane Society and euthanized on Saturday.
This is why you VACCINATE your pets people!!!

Officials Discuss Concern After Latest Dog Attacks

Official Discusses Concern After Latest Dog Attack

Pit bulls have a nasty reputation and have been responsible for some horrific attacks, but the chief dog catcher in Pittsburgh believes that the recent attacks may not be a case of nature, but nurture.

A man was taken to the hospital Sunday evening after a dog attack in Pittsburgh's Arlington Heights section.

"The neighbor's dog went after my boyfriend and ripped his hand apart and tore his shirt, his back; he had scratches and was bleeding everywhere," said Jessica Rieber, the victim's girlfriend. "They just left him out there, just shut the door."

A few days ago, a 6-year-old Allentown boy was mauled in the face.

Pit bulls were blamed in both incidents and the perception may be that Pittsburgh is being overrun by them, but that is not the case.

According to Animal Control, only 5.2 percent of dog licenses are sold to pit bull owners in Pittsburgh.

"If you look at the bites and the context in which it happened, a majority of the time it wasn't really the dog's fault," Pittsburgh Animal Control Supervisor Gerald Akrie said.

Of the 133 animal bites reported so far in 2010, about 40 percent have been from pit bulls.

Those numbers may lead some to say the breed should be banned, but the next breed on the list are Labrador retrievers.

Pit bulls can be aggressive, but Akrie said the person holding the leash is usually responsible for the dog's behavior.

"Most of the time, animals reflect their owners. I guarantee it. As many times – I've been on this department for almost 18 years, you see an aggressive dog, you talk to an owner, you got a knucklehead owner," Akrie said.

The man attacked in Arlington Heights Sunday night was taken to UPMC Mercy Hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.

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 I thought this was an interesting article because so many people are quick to say “Ban pit bulls” after a dog attack. I particularly like how it states that Labrador retrievers are the second most responsible for dog bites in this city, which is ironic to me considering they are such “family dogs” by most people. BSL does not prevent dog attacks and dog bites. Responsible ownership is the only answer to dog bite prevention.

From My Google Alerts- October 10, 2010

In Iceland, an aggressive raven attacked a dog and a child. It was euthanized.

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In Sacramento County, California, three pit bull type dogs were shot during two separate incidents. One of the dogs that were shot was killed as a result; the dog was a ten-month-old female and was pregnant. The fact that the owners of the dogs in the separate incident have a 10-month pregnant female leads me to believe that AC should have taken the remaining dog because these people are not responsible enough to have a dog of any breed period.

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A K-9 dog was bitten by a man after it jumped out of its police cruiser to help the officer who handles him. A suspect started an altercation with the officer and began punching him in the face. That is when the dog jumped out and bit the man who in turn bit the police dog causing it to yelp in pain.

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Two Rottweilers will be euthanized in Florida this week following their attack on a woman and her nephew. The woman was checking on the dogs while their owner was out of town. The owner surrendered them after the attack.

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In Vicksburg, twelve pit bulls were found chained in the woods by firefighters responding to a fire in the woods. Three of them had severe wounds. The Humane Society president said the dogs probably won’t be adoptable.

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In Elk Grove, police shot and killed two loose pit bulls after they acted aggressively towards an elderly couple and two other men. They attacked one man who tried to help scare them away. He received stitches and he is recovering at home.

From My Google Alerts- October 7, 2010

On October 7 in Morton, MS, all breeds of dogs pertaining to the American Pit Bull Terrier, the Staffordshire bull terrier, the American Staffordshire terrier, and the Wolf-dog hybrid will be banned. The breeds may not be owned, harbored, or kept within the city limits of Morton, Mayor Greg Butler said last week.

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In Austria, a Bernese mountain dog bit off a chunk of its owner’s upper lip when she opened the car door. In a separate incident a seven-month-old boy received minor injuries after being bitten by his grandfather’s dog; no dog breed mentioned. Also in Austria, a 10-year-old girl was hospitalized after being mauled by a friend’s Landseer.

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A pit bull named Trooper was attacked by other dogs and found with bite marks and abrasions to his face, legs, and chest. He is recovering at a foster home after undergoing procedures for bite wounds and abrasions on its legs, face, and chest. The dog was first treated at Angels of Assisi and sent to Vinton Veterinary Hospital.                     

Lisa O’Neill, volunteer coordinator with Angels of Assisi, an animal rescue organization in Roanoke, said maggots had to be picked out of Trooper’s mouth, eyes, and sinus cavity. He was dehydrated and could barely stand up.

Part of the dog’s mouth had to be removed, he had a puncture wound in his eye, and he has a hole in his tongue, O’Neill said. When he arrived at Angels of Assisi, he was about 15 pounds underweight, she said.

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