This is one for the record books, a day care center that was also used for dog fighting.  When the center in the Chicago suburbs was raided on Tuesday children were found playing near battered and malnourished dogs, blood was splattered on the garage floor.

According to the New York Times nine battered dogs, four of them puppies, were removed by the police. During the raid 10 children were at the day care center, which is now shut down.

In the article it doesn’t state what prompted the raid. Read the rest of this entry »

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On CBSnews.com you can view a special sideshow which takes a look inside dog-fighting’s brutal world.

Dogs are rescued from a St. Louis, Mo., location by Humane Society officials July 8, 2009, part of what federal officials call the largest dog-fighting bust in American history. More than 350 mostly American Pit Bull Terrier dogs were rescued in at least five states.  (Photo: AP Photo/St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

Dogs stand chained before being taken away by Humane Society officials in St. Louis, Mo., July 8, 2009. The Humane Society of Missouri says it would welcome help as it shelters about 300 dogs that were seized in raids of dog-fighting operations in Missouri and Illinois. (Photo: AP Photo/St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

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Thanks to a report from CBSnews.com we get a look at the insider world of dog fighting and the united effort it took to help bring down these dog fighting rings.

“These are animals which are so eager to please. Yet they have been bred to fight and die for human amusement,” said Dr. Randall Lockwood, a senior behavioral psychologist for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which worked closely with law enforcement on the raids. “I do see dog-fighting as the greatest violation of that special bond between people and dogs.”

Kathy Warnick, president of the Humane Society of Missouri, said tips had come in from “multiple sources” about dog-fighting and anticruelty workers worked with federal authorities for 18 months. “This heinous, heinous blood sport is not going to be tolerated,” she said.

The national Humane Society said there also were arrests in Arkansas associated with dog-fighting, but no dogs were seized.

Dog-fighting is banned throughout the United States and is a felony in 50 states. A law enacted two years ago increased penalties for activities that promote or encourage animal fighting after a long campaign by animal-welfare groups.

Watch a video of federal agents as they raid dog-fighting operations in Mo. and Ill.

Watch CBS Videos Online

If you can’t see the video in your RSS link, then click here.

Wayne Pacelle, president and chief executive officer of the Humane Society of the United States, said dog-fighting operations typically are not small acts of animal cruelty, but part of organized criminal networks. Read the rest of this entry »

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Here’s some updated information pertaining to yesterday’s breaking news. It appears the dog fighting rings were not connected but it is still the largest coordinated rescue in U.S. history.

ST. LOUIS - The authorities seized more than 400 dogs on Wednesday and charged 26 people from seven states in what officials called one of the largest crackdowns on dogfighting in the United States.

State and federal agents staged raids in several states, picking up individuals in Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas.

In Missouri, prosecutors said members of a multistate ring routinely destroyed injured dogs by shooting them “in the head, throwing the dogs into the river or burning the dogs in a barrel.”

The arrests stem from the same investigation, but officials said the rings were not necessarily connected, and United States attorneys in four districts – the Eastern District of Missouri, the Western District of Missouri, the Southern District of Illinois and the Eastern District of Texas – will try the cases separately.

“The allegation is not that this was one concentrated, organized conspiracy,” said Don Ledford, a spokesman for the acting United States attorney for the Western District of Missouri, Matt Whitworth. “This was not one big ring.”

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Here is some breaking news about what may possibly be the largest dog fighting ring in the U.S. to date.

Largest Dog Fighting Operation in U.S. History Raided by State & Federal Agencies With Assistance From ASPCA

ASPCA Dispatches Forensics, Vet Care and Behavior Evaluation Teams to Sites in Missouri, Illinois

NEW YORK, July 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — What is believed to be the largest dog fighting operation in U.S. history was raided early Wednesday in an effort that included federal and state agencies, with the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) assisting.

At the request of the Humane Society of Missouri, the ASPCA, along with the Missouri State Highway Patrol, United States Department of Agriculture’s Office of the Inspector General, Federal Bureau of Investigation, The U.S. Marshals Service and the United States Attorney, is collaborating in the rescue, veterinary care, and forensics evidence collection of dogs associated with multiple suspected dog fighting operations. The ASPCA will also be assisting in behavior evaluations of the dogs.

The dog fighting operation is believed to have spanned five states and included arrests in Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Texas and Oklahoma. Dogs are being safely transported to a secure facility under the direction of the Humane Society of Missouri Animal Cruelty Task Force, where they will be cared for until final disposition is determined by the United States District Court.

“The ASPCA is determined to protect its nation’s pets from dog fighting and other forms of brutality,” said ASPCA President and CEO Ed Sayres. “Animal cruelty cannot be tolerated, and we are proud to lend our support to federal and local agencies to ensure that these abusers are brought to justice.”

The ASPCA is collecting evidence for the prosecution of the criminal case, as well as lending the services of its special forensic cruelty investigation team, comprised of disaster animal rescuers, field service investigators, and Dr. Melinda Merck, the nation’s premier forensic veterinarian. More than a dozen responders from the ASPCA’s Disaster Response team are in the field, along with the ASPCA’s “Mobile Animal Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) Unit,” a critical tool in the collection and processing of evidence at crime scenes. The CSI unit brings both state-of-the-art forensics tools and expertise to crime scenes and is outfitted with medical equipment tailored for animal patients.

“The ASPCA’s Mobile Animal CSI unit is an important component in the effort against animal cruelty,” said Laura Maloney, Senior Vice President of Anti-Cruelty Initiatives for the ASPCA. “This technology allows the ASPCA to strengthen cases against animal abusers and seek justice for their victims.”

Stay tuned…..I will continually post updates as more information on this case is released. To read more about the history of dog fighting and what you can do to help go to the ASPCA’s website.

* Photo from ASPCA site

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