A late-night SWAT team raid in Marion, Texas on January 8 has resulted in the state's largest dogfighting bust in the last decade. Acting on information provided by The HSUS's Southwest Regional Office (SWRO), Bexar County Sheriff's department investigators, SWAT agents, and representatives of the SPCA of Texas seized 90 pit bull dogs and arrested five men on suspicion of felony animal cruelty.
Authorities raided the property of Brian Bailey, about 25 miles northeast of San Antonio, after SWRO staff alerted them to a suspected dogfighting ring. The HSUS monitors intelligence that indicates animal fighting activities. Thanks to that vigilance, HSUS staff were able to tip law enforcement off about the planned Saturday-night fight.
Bailey and his son, Brad Bailey, were charged with felony animal cruelty and dogfighting (a Class A misdemeanor in the state). Three other men were also arrested on felony charges, and authorities issued 20 citations to others for being spectators at a dogfight.
SWRO Coordinator Jay Sabatucci, who teaches a class to police officers on how to combat animal fighting, noted that the sheriff's office "really stepped up to the plate on this one." He explained that the raid was a good example of how law enforcement can make a bigger dent in crime by pursuing suspected animal fighters.
"We're making them understand that it's a crime issue," he said, noting that dogfighters are often charged with other illegal activities, such as gambling, drug sales and weapons possession. "This is a great way for them to get criminals."
Animals seized in the raid are being held at an undisclosed location until a judge decides their fate. Many of the dogs were undernourished and lacked veterinary care, Sabatucci said. Because the animals were bred and trained to be vicious, he believes many of them will have to be euthanized.
"It's a great tragedy, because it's the only way to guarantee that they won't die in the pit," he explained. When the dogs are not fighting, "their whole life is being chained to a stake in an eight-foot circle of dirt. Their only future is to be in that pit."
Another dogfighting bust in Gadsden County, Florida, on December 30 took advantage of a state law that permits investigators to make arrests based on the possession of dogfighting implements. During a drug investigation at a property near Quincy, Gadsden authorities discovered a bloodied fighting pit, dogfight training tools, veterinary medical supplies, and 19 dogs, most of whom carried scars from fighting.
William Randall, the owner of the property, was charged with 19 counts of using animals for fighting and 19 counts of animal cruelty. If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison.
Laura Bevan, director of The HSUS's Southeast Regional Office, noted that "The HSUS wrote and lobbied for passage of Florida's current animal fighting law, which allowed the charges to be made without actually busting a fight in progress." In Florida the possession of a fighting pit, dogs trained to fight, or other equipment for the purpose of dogfighting is a third-degree felony.
But while the law offers a better way to catch illegal animal fighters, intervention came too late to prevent the Gadsden dogs from sustaining serious injuries. Bevan examined some of the dogs seized, and noted that many had suffered serious fighting wounds.
"One of the female dogs had her muzzle basically torn off," she lamented.
Sabatucci would like to see stiffer penalties for animal cruelty in Texas, where the offense is a fourth-degree felony with a maximum penalty of two years' imprisonment. Nonetheless, dogfighting remains all too common in the state. "You can find a dogfight in every city every Friday night," he says.
And while the January 8 bust was the largest he has seen in Texas, "It's only a drop in the bucket."
