Risk Pays Off for Dogs in Small Town

©Prentiss County sheriff's dept.

Prentiss County sheriff's officers rescued this dog from the bloody fighting pit.

At first blush, the quiet community of Booneville, Miss. is the last place you'd expect to find the sickening spectacle of dogfighting. But Prentiss County Sheriff's Deputy Joey Clark knows firsthand the horrific impact of dogfighting on small communities like his.

His story is a lesson in how the resourcefulness and dedication of a small number of people can make a big difference. And it's a prime example of how The HSUS's new animal fighting rewards program—offering up to $5,000 for information leading to the conviction of an animal fighter—is paying off.

A Sick, Sick "Sport"

On April 9, acting on an anonymous tip, Deputy Clark led a team of seven men to bust up a dogfight in progress in a wooded area in Booneville. When he arrived at the property, he and his officers found a crowd of at least 27 spectators encircling a pit in which two pitbulls were locked together in a deadly battle.  

"What surprised me the most was the quietness of it—the dogs were not whimpering, crying, or barking," says Clark. "They were silent in the pit, just chewing on each other. I thought I was prepared, but to see that, I just couldn't take it...It's a sick, sick sport."

Looking beyond the pit, the spectacle became even more nauseating. "The property was a graveyard," recalls Clark. "About 110 yards from the fighting pit, the ground was covered in skulls and bones," presumably those of past dogfighing victims. 

Courageous Few

Although far outnumbered, Clark and his men were undeterred. Using Tasers, the officers subdued, handcuffed and arrested almost all of the 27 people present on felony dogfighting charges. Amid the chaos of fleeing spectators scrambling to ditch their drug and money stashes, the dogs remained locked in their silent battle, oblivious to the pandemonium around them.

The dogs were only stopped when, under orders from the deputies, two of the subdued dogfighters used breaking sticks to pry open their jaws and separate them. The badly injured dogs were taken to a local veterinarian, who treated them free of charge. Other dogs at the scene were taken to the sheriff's station, and the scramble to find placement for them was on.  

Small-Town Snafu Overcome

Like many small towns, Booneville has limited animal shelter facilities, making the disposition of animal cruelty and animal fighting cases extremely daunting—and not a task many small-town sheriffs are willing to take on.

Not to be deterred, Clark called up The HSUS for help in identifying an animal shelter in a neighboring county willing to take in the remaining dogs. Three trips later, Clark successfully delivered all the dogs to the Tupelo/Lee County Humane Society.

"The dogs were real friendly, but when they saw another dog and heard the other dogs barking at the shelter, they were ready for war," said Clark of his canine charges. "They've trained these dogs to be killers."

Watchful Eyes and Helping Hands

Booneville has only one other dogfighting bust on record, dating back to 2000. Not coincidentally, the dogfighter convicted in Booneville's 2000 bust is the brother of one of those arrested by Prentiss County sheriffs at the April 14 bust. Moreover, several of those arrested were already on probation for drug offenses and other crimes, a testament to the criminal mindset that rules animal fighting operations.  

Deputy Clark credits the success of the April 14 bust primarily to the brave citizen who called in the tip of a dogfight in progress to the sheriff's office.

"We have a lot of gratitude for the brave citizen who alerted us to the dogfight in progress, as well as the veterinarian who treated the dogs and the Tupelo/Lee County Humane Society who gave the dogs shelter," says Clark. "Without them, we couldn't have saved these dogs—and untold others—from lives of horrible suffering."

See the Video

Dogfighting

Dogfighting Pet Minute

HSUS Undercover: Inside Animal Fighting

Related Links

Dogfighting

Dogfighting Fact Sheet

HSUS Rewards

Ranking of State Dogfighting Laws

State Dogfighting Laws

Taking Action to End Dogfighting: How to Spot the Signs and What You Can Do