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Contact: EMAIL Please Sign Our Guestbook Click Below to Pay With Credit Card.     Web was created by  law on 01/05. Website is maintained by the Rios family. ALL OF OUR AMERICAN PIT BULL TERRIERS ARE ADBA REGISTERED.

Dog Fighting

Thanks to Dianne Jessup from www.workingpitbull.com for this information.

The following information is provided to educate and inform the public about the true horrors associated with dog fighting.  Rios' Pit Bull Kingdom intends to discourage the public from participating in dog fighting.

The following are random samples of ACTUAL dog fight busts, and the character and activities of the people involved. Quite different from the fiction spun by pro-dog fighters... TOLEDO, Ohio — Deputies looking for marijuana plants found a dog-fighting operation, stolen cars and two alligators on a farm outside the city. Otha Lawrence Jones, Jr., 29, of Toledo was charged with five felony counts of dog-fighting, sheriff's Lt. Donald Atkinson said Friday. Mr. Jones also was charged with a weapons violation. During a routine helicopter search on Thursday, Lucas County sheriff's deputies saw marijuana plants on the farm. After landing to take a closer look, deputies discovered a building with 10 pit bulls inside, Lt. Atkinson said. Additional charges could be filed.                                          Another "happy warrior" as pro-dog fighters                      like to call these victims of their stupidity.   Inside the old greenhouse, on the back acre at a private home, was a crowd of roughly 75 — all male, mostly white, mostly what Bobby calls a redneck bunch. They drank beer, smoked dope, maybe did a few lines of cocaine. "Two guys in monkey suits were the coke men," Bobby said of a pair of drug dealers in fancy clothes. "And some guy was selling that date-rape drug" — a bag of five pills for $50. Drugs flourish in the dog-fighting culture, in part because dealers often keep vicious dogs for protection, in part because of a general party atmosphere around the ring. It also may have something to do with the amount of cash on hand. Last summer, animal cruelty officers in Palm Beach County had their biggest dog-fighting bust ever — 60 arrests, 12 dogs, $89,000 in cash and an unspecified amount of drugs seized in a suburban neighborhood in West Palm Beach. Naples Daily News   Two men try and force young dogs to fight. They just can't wait to watch "the fun".    Police seize drug paraphernalia and a stolen firearm from site of arrests. In addition to four pit bulls, Fort Walton Beach police officers seized a stolen firearm and drug paraphernalia from a townhouse on Hollywood Boulevard where a group of men were arrested on dogfighting charges Tuesday night. "This was a textbook dogfighting case," said Dee Thompson, executive director of the Panhandle Animal Welfare Society. "When you find people who are dogfighting, the guns and drugs are usually there, too. They all seem to go hand in hand." Shomari Nnander Minter-Smith, 22, faces the most serious charges in connection with the raid of his home at 421 N.W. Hollywood Blvd. Minter-Smith, who had been living in unit F of the building, was charged with fighting or baiting animals, grand theft of a firearm, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of drug paraphernalia. Northwest Florida Daily News   Even a minor "roll" can result in severe tissue damage.   ORANGE COUNTY, N.C. -- Investigators will meet with Hillsborough police on Monday to decide what charges should be filed against a father and son accused of operating a dogfighting ring. Animal control officers say they have broken up a dog-fighting ring in Orange County. Laura Walters of the Animal Protection Society said the scars and injuries on one dog's body tell a story of countless dogfights and unspeakable abuse. "He's got scars all over his body and face and he's missing teeth," she said. "His leg is unusable, and he has a large wound that's infected." The dog is one of 11 pit bulls, including three puppies, who are believed to be part of a dogfighting ring in Orange County. Walters said they were living in deplorable conditions. "There was no food. One dog had a loaf of moldy bread in front of him that he wouldn't eat," she said. "The puppies were shivering and shaking." Investigators plan to charge Jerry Lee Compton Sr. and his son, Jerry Lee Compton Jr., with animal cruelty. The dogs were seized from the Compton house in Hillsborough on Friday. Jerry Lee Compton Sr. denies the dogs were abused. He said his son is a breeder.  WAKE COUNTY, N.C. -- Investigators call dogfighting a breeding ground for gambling, drugs, violence and bloody entertainment. WRAL investigates the underground culture and how dogfighting costs taxpayers and family pets. Although it is a felony in North Carolina to train dogs to fight, most offenders get little or no jail time. Last year, Lee County deputies found a fighting pit, training equipment and over 100 dogs at Gaston Williamson's home. Williams walked with only probation, maintaining to this day that he is just a breeder. Check most shelters around the state and you will see the scars of dogfighting. The animals are marked for death, whether killed in the ring or euthanized because they are raised too violent to adopt. "There's a major expense of tax dollars that go with this," said Dicke Sloop, Wake County Animal Control director. Sloop serves on a statewide task force that is trying to break up the fights. She believes the problem goes far beyond two bloodied dogs. Take last fall's arrest of Samson Pruitt in Wake County, for example. Taxpayers shelled out $27,000 to house 91 confiscated pit bulls for one month. Most of the dogs were were eventually put to death. Along with evidence of dogfighting, detectives found drugs and social workers removed two children from the home. I have yet to be aware of a dog fighting case which did not involve the lowest form of criminals and showcase the complete lack of regard for the dog's care as shown above. Examples are far too many to list here.   This is the hind leg of a pit bull seized in a fighting bust. The animal's skin has been literally torn away.How pro-dog fighting authors can claim watching this being done is fun remains a mystery to me. There is no denying that the pit bull reigns supreme as a fighting dog when raised and encouraged to this occupation, and there is no denying that selection of the dogs for the traits which make him a BULLdog make him the tough, honest, gritty dog we love today. Because of this, the challenge to today's breeders is to find ways to replicate the rigors of baiting sports in legal and humane ways. Dog fighters insist this cannot be done, but the simple truth is that it can and is being done by those who care enough to do it. Dog fighters argue that dog fighting is not cruel - that the dogs enjoy the opportunity to scrap. Perhaps some dogs do, yet the legions of mangled rejects who find their way into shelters and rescues, dogs hung from trees, set on fire in the street, and otherwise tortured or destroyed for their unwillingness to fight, testify that many pit bulls would prefer to live in peace. The dog fighters and their hangers-on argue that those who oppose fighting use examples of street punks, not "real deal dog men" when describing the mentality of those who keep fighting dogs and conditions in which they are kept. I thought it would be fair to simply use the words of the "real deal dogmen" themselves and let THEM describe dog fighting as it exists today. Fair enough?   On the "fairness" of dog fighting, and the judgment of those involved: "A Virginia dogman coerced his owner (who was very new to the dogs) into putting five dogs on the pup - three one after the other in the morning and two more eight hours later when the dog was sore and swollen - and the last two were three time winners. The pup off Bandit (blinded in one eye, one back leg broken and his head, chest, both shoulders and both stifles badly damaged) finally quit, coming across and standing parallel with the dog on his last scratch. " The Complete Gamedog" by Ed and Chris Faron. On the "care" fighting dogs receive in the custody of "real dogmen"... "We bred Bandit to our Piranha bitch, a double granddaughter of Gr. Ch. Nigerino; we lost track of some of these pups, but the two best ones in the litter each froze to death on different yards in separate incidents - that's just how luck goes sometimes!" The Complete Gamedog" by Ed and Chris Faron. On the "concern" for their dogs, and the types of homes these pups are dumped into:  "We put this young dog on an extremely hard-biting chest dog that later went on to beat a good dog in 23 minutes. That young dog held the other dog out and danced around for about 15 minutes - looking back we realize how much of a puppy he really was at the time, he didn't show any real aggression and acted as if it was all a game? At 15 minutes the match dog got in his chest and shoulders and hurt him real bad, he might have even broken his shoulder (the pup was on 3 legs immediately) and at 18 minutes the pup stood the line. We gave him away as a pet and were patting ourselves on the back about how smart we were to have found out he was a cur right away instead of feeding him until he was two years old, or older. ... Since leaving our yard, the dog we gave away had gotten his leg badly broken while running loose (and was permanently cripples as a result) was kept half-starved and full of worms, and had been rolled many times, the last time at 35 pounds (his bottom match weight would have been about 37 -38 pounds) into a dog 25 pounds bigger. He stopped the dog from the bottom in half an hour making game, stumbling scratches while reportedly completely destroyed. We immediately tried to get the dog back only to find that he had been traded to a second person for drugs, then sold to a third person." The Complete Gamedog" by Ed and Chris Faron. Of a "favorite" dog they "loved". They sat and watched her get destroyed. Some "sport", eh? "She was so physically busted up that it was necessary to take the kennel crate apart to get her out of it. We spent the next hour or so desperately trying to save he, but nothing we did helped. Sadie had destroyed her face so badly that her sinuses were crushed, her whole face was pulsing up and down as she breather and air was bubbling out of the holes on her muzzle and around her eyes. The last thing Jolene did before loosing consciousness entirely was thrown up an incredible amount of blood." The Complete Gamedog" by Ed and Chris Faron.                                                           Think Before You Act. Don't Fight Dog's.

Arrests Made For Dog Fighting

Man arrested on dogfighting charges; 18 pit bulls seized

25 April 2003
WESTTOWN, N.Y. -- The publisher of an underground dogfighting magazine was charged with animal cruelty and dogfighting felonies, officials said.
James Fricchione's home was raided Wednesday by agents from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, police and animal handlers from the Humane Society of the United States.

Investigators found 18 pit bulls at the residence, about 55 miles northwest of New York City, most of which had signs of injuries consistent with those inflicted in dog fights, Orange County Assistant District Attorney Dave Hoovler said. Fricchione faces up to six years in prison if convicted of all counts.

Humane Society officials said Fricchione, 33, published the "Sporting Dog Journal," an underground magazine that networks known and suspected dogfighters.

Police also seized equipment used to train dogs to fight as well as other paraphernalia, Hoovler said.

Fricchione, who was released on $10,000 bail, had an unlisted phone number and couldn't be reached for comment.

Police are also investigating dogfighting suspects in Virginia and Georgia in connection with Fricchione's arrest, Hoovler said.

Old Time Dog Man- David Tant is pending dog fighting charges

Charleston, SC -- Authorities are not surprised that the dog-fighting world is abuzz over the upcoming trial of accused "dogman" David Tant, who prosecutors say is the country's No. 2 breeder of fighting pit bulls.

After all, the courtroom matchup has all the makings of a fierce, high-stakes battle, the sort that dog fighters would enjoy.

It's truly a life or death drama for dozens of pit bulls whose fate likely rests on the verdict.

And it's a crucial, stage-setting effort for state officials bent on removing the illegal blood sport from South Carolina.

If recent discussions on Internet sites catering to dog fighters and breeders are any indication, there's plenty of concern inside the sport's secret society, according to Eric Sakach, director of the Humane Society of the United State's West Coast regional office and one of the country's top experts on animal fighting.

"There's a lot of stuff on the message boards these days," Sakach said. "They are reminding the other men in the game to keep their yards clean. That's code speak to get rid of any evidence."

Media coverage of the case recently prompted Circuit Judge Markley Dennis to order Tant's trial moved from Charleston County to Greenwood County.

The trial, which begins Monday, is generating keen interest in the legal and law enforcement communities, too, because it's the first trial for state Attorney General Henry McMaster's statewide dog-fighting task force.

McMaster said the privately funded task force faces an entrenched enemy that has proliferated in a climate of social tolerance. "We have a cultural problem. Some people may have an inkling not to view dog fighting as so severe as to require substantial penalties," the attorney general said. "Dog fighting is a blight on South Carolina, and we need to end it."

AN ENDEMIC PHENOMENON

Dog fighters in South Carolina and other states have long relied on the absence of public outcry and the relative inexperience of police and prosecutors on animal fighting issues.

As a result, past cases have not triggered big sentences, McMaster said. "Judges have tended to be lenient because there hasn't been a concerted effort to present evidence and highlight the inhumanity involved."

Beginning with the Tant trial, the task force hopes to change that. The outcome could set the tone for the task force's other dog-fighting cases, Charleston attorney and task force member Sandy Senn said. "It's got a lot of pressure on it because it's got a lot of eyes on it," Senn said.

Already, task force prosecutor William Frick must juggle about 15 dog-fighting cases, ranging from suspected professionals such as Tant to owners accused of fighting their dogs in impromptu street battles. "This takes up a good bit of time because it's just so widespread," Frick said.

In addition to Frick, the task force employs a full-time State Law Enforcement Division agent and a broad network of animal cruelty experts that offer advice.

Senn heads the $100,000 per year fund-raising effort that pays the SLED agent's salary. A quirk in state law prohibits the task force from paying the prosecutor's salary with those same funds, but McMaster said the legislature is expected to resolve that issue next year.

The task force is racking up defendants because local solicitors are eager to tap into the group's expertise and resources and offer their cases to the state.

The effort has even exposed dog fighting in other states. On a routine traffic stop in October, Dillon County authorities discovered three severely injured pit bulls inside an SUV.

"It was pretty clear they had been in a dog fight," Frick said. The investigation revealed that the dogs had fought in New York that weekend and the owners were returning to Texas along I-95 when they were pulled over.

Several of the cases also turned up drugs, which McMaster said happens frequently in dog-fighting arrests. The promise of illegal weapons and stacks of cash from fight wagers also offers incentive for law enforcement to target dog fighting, he said.

But so far, one aspect of the crackdown has produced only headaches and sadness: Each arrest lands more and more ferocious dogs in crowded, under-funded animal shelters.

CUSTODY BATTLE

Task force cases already account for the seizure of more than 160 pit bulls.

That number includes 47 pit bulls seized from Tant.

Charleston County authorities intended to euthanize the dogs after it was awarded custody of them in April. Most dog experts agree that dogs bred for fighting can't be retrained not to be vicious toward other dogs.

Tant's attorneys appealed the custody decision and stopped the county from putting the dogs to sleep.

Today, the dogs remain at the John Ancrum SPCA, where they've been since Tant's arrest seven months ago. Their care already has cost the county more than $110,000.

Finding and maintaining separate pens for nearly 50 non-adoptable dogs has been difficult for the shelter, SPCA board president Charles Karesh said. "The animals are getting a little bit more aggressive as time goes on," Karesh said. "It's an employee and animal safety issue."

It's not a problem unique to Charleston County, Frick said. Other shelters around the state have been strained recently by a sudden influx of dogs that were seized in raids on suspected fighting operations.

The task force is looking at ways to tweak a state law that says seized animals must be kept alive after a criminal indictment has been handed down.

McMaster said the state also needs a forfeiture law that would allow authorities to seize property associated with dog-fighting operations. Proceeds from such forfeitures could enable the task force to become self-funding.

When shelters are forced to raise the animals, all sorts of unforeseen problems arise.

Some of the dogs taken from Tant gave birth to puppies after they arrived at the shelter. Shelter officials declined to say how many were born but that most were born with illnesses and only two survived. Some animal rights advocates have argued that the puppies should be spared because they haven't been exposed to fighting.

Karesh said those people haven't witnessed first hand the pervasiveness of the fighting gene that is passed down through generations of strict breeding.

Pressed for space, the shelter initially kept some of the pups together in the same dog runs. "They were going after each other pretty viciously," Karesh said, and had to be separated just like the adult dogs.

The custody issue also has consequences for caregivers. Some of the shelter's staff has undergone counseling to deal with emotional stress brought on by prolonged care of dogs whose future is uncertain, Karesh said.

Senn, who argued the task force's case at the custody hearing, said she has intentionally avoided visiting the dogs at the shelter to avoid an emotional attachment. "Because I know their fate," she said.

Following a recent approved visit to the shelter, Tant claimed that some of his dogs were not receiving proper care. He said some were underweight and others were overweight, suggesting to him that those dogs were being penned together and fighting over meals.

Karesh said none of the pit bulls had serious encounters and that the dogs are getting the best care of their lives. Still, he's hopeful that the trial resolves the custody battle.

If Tant is convicted, the county will attempt to follow through with its plans to euthanize the dogs. If he's found not guilty, Tant could gain legal leverage in his efforts to get the dogs back.

That's precisely the reason he and his attorneys have fought to keep the dogs alive.

Frick said the custody issue raises troubling legal questions about the rights of the accused versus the humane treatment of the dogs and their threat to society.

Tant is innocent until proven guilty, Frick said. "If we euthanized the dogs before that's determined, we might be skipping a step in the process."
=====================================================================

part two -- 'OLD-TIME DOG MAN'

Authorities have said that Tant's history in dog fighting dates back to the 1960s and that his dogs' bloodlines are revered around the world.

The task force will attempt to prove these arguments by laying out a stream of evidence seized from Tant's breeding operation near Ravenel and a separate home in North Charleston.

The state showed its hand to some extent at the April custody hearing. Prosecutors introduced treadmills, cattle prods, weapons, underground dog-fighting magazines, remnants of a dog-fighting ring and a framed photo of a champion fighting dog named "Yellow."

Dog-fighting investigators and a veterinarian testified that the dogs' injuries and scaring were tell tale signs of fighting.

Prosecutors also rolled out reams of documents, including a paper titled "Defense Plan," which was described as Tant's list of excuses in the event he got caught. The list included using the dogs to hunt for wild boar and in weight pulling competitions.

Tant maintains his innocence.

Reached by telephone, Tant declined to comment on the trial. "I am 100 percent innocent and I want my dogs back," he said.

Tant's attorney, Dale Cobb, declined to comment. Cobb took the case after Tant parted ways with his previous attorneys following a disagreement over legal tactics.

He and his attorneys have said he is a reformed dog fighter turned legal dog breeder. They have conceded that Tant was involved in dog fighting before 2001 but that he left the sport behind after testifying before a federal grand jury as a government witness. In exchange for his sealed testimony, Tant was given immunity from prosecution for any previous involvement in dog fighting.

Breeding dogs is not a crime.

"They call me an old-time dog man. I guess that's true," Tant told The Post and Courier in April. "When I started out, it was a misdemeanor. It was like getting a speeding ticket."

Today, a dog-fighting conviction is a felony carrying a $5,000 fine or five years in prison. Tant faces 41 counts.

Tant is also charged with assault and battery with intent to kill stemming from a shooting on his property that led to the discovery of his breeding operation.

A land surveyor was shot, though not seriously, by what authorities described as a "directional mine."

The homemade device blasted the surveyor with pellets after he wandered onto Tant's County Line Road property and came into contact with a tripwire.

The assault and battery charge carries a possible 20-year sentence.

Dog-fighting insiders will be paying close attention to any punishment handed down for Tant, Sakach said. Anyone who had previous dealings with Tant may have reason for concern.

The state's evidence includes Tant's telephone list and a document titled "Action Plan," which prosecutors described as Tant's to-do list if arrested.

The list included making a deal with the police or becoming a police informant.

"If he's convicted, message boards will heat up again about his sentence," Sakach said. "If it's perceived as light, people will say he made a deal and turned in others."

===============================================================

NEW HAMPSHIRE HANDS DOWN ITS FIRST FELONY CONVICTION FOR DOGFIGHTING

16 August 2002
In a precedent-setting case, New Hampshire recently handed down its first felony convictions for training fighting animals. Christopher Devito of Newton, who was arrested last January after law enforcement officials removed 43 pit bulls from his property along with dogfighting paraphernalia, pled guilty to nearly two dozen counts of felony animal-fighting.
The New England Regional Office (NERO) had been in close contact with law enforcement and courtroom officials throughout the case. Our office provided expertise on the brutality of animal fighting—a sadistic contest in which two animals are placed in a pit to battle each other, often to the death. Equally outraged citizens throughout the region sent numerous letters to the Rockingham County Courthouse, as well as a petition with more than 3,000 signatures asking for the maximum sentence.

The HSUS and other animal advocates had hoped for a trial, but Devito pled guilty to 23 of the 37 counts of felony animal-fighting against him, and the remaining 14 counts were dropped as part of the plea bargain. He will serve two to five years in state prison and is responsible for reimbursing the town of Newton $63,000 for the care of the 43 pit bulls. In addition, he is prohibited from ever owning animals again.

Although this sentence sends a strong message that dogfighting in New Hampshire will not be ignored, it also points to the need for stronger penalties for animal abusers. The NERO looks forward to working with the New Hampshire SPCA (one of the lead agencies in investigating the case), the district attorney, and other interested parties to improve and refine New Hampshire's animal welfare laws. We will also continue to push for the investigation and prosecution of illegal animal fighting.
 

Pit Bulls Seized in Monroe County
Sept. 2005

London Township, MI -- Animal cruelty investigators in Monroe County have seized 17 pit bulls. Officials say the dogs were abused and may have been part of a large dog-fighting operation.

The pits were taken Sunday night behind a home on Plank Road in London Township. Tucked away in wooded backyard are a bunch of blue, 35-gallon plastic barrels. Animal cruelty investigators say the barrels were homes for 17 pit bulls.

Agents found the dogs Sunday in rainy and muddy conditions. "That wasn't even anchored to the ground in order for the dog to get into it with the wet and the mud. The barrels were moving around. The dogs couldn't even get in. When they did get in, they could hardly turn around," said Linda Benson of the Monroe County Animal Control.

All of the dogs were confiscated and are now staying in kennels as possible evidence. Detectives say scarring and bite marks could be indicators of illegal dog-fighting.

Agents also found treadmills, weighted collars and medications which may have been used to train the pit bulls. "The various items that we observed there made the whole situation questionable," said Benson.

But Harriet Crawford, who has been caring for the dogs while the owner is in prison, says there were no injuries on the pit bulls until after animal control took them away.

"They're lying. There was no proof of no dog fights. When they took those dogs from here, there wasn't a mark on them and I wish I had the pictures to show you. If I would have known any of this was going to happen, I would have taken a picture of every last one of them," said Crawford.

Crawford also says she gave the dogs rice, potatoes, dog food and water every day for the past two weeks. She admits the barrels are not ideal for the dogs, but it was the best she could do.

"Well, that's all we could do, you know, we bought houses for them. We was trying to get more, but like I said, it's coming out of our pocket and I know I don't look rich, not at all, but I do care for the animals... I do," said Crawford.

Monroe County detectives, along with Animal Control, continue to investigate. Charges are pending.

Crawford moved out of that Monroe County home today. Michigan law requires licenses for all dogs older than four months. None of the dogs seized on Sunday had a license.


[Most of their housing was heavy quality built and roofed construction even if solid barrels do guard against wind and rain, no mention to that, or how wild dogs live, or hurricanes as reasons for all the rain; Or that they were being fed so much they couldn't eat it all. Why not allow the right to spend money getting them licensed and fix housing. If they are found 'running at large' you get so many days to get the license.]
 

Owner said to be dognapper
Man faces charges after stealing his pit bull from Animal Control.

by Alicia Gallegos
Tribune staff writer

A sign on the back gate of a home in the 200 block of Village Way in South Bend bears a warning for visitors. Animal Control officials say between 12 and 15 pit bulls have been taken from the home because of dogfighting concerns. South Bend Animal Control officials have been to this home in the 200 block of Village Way six times in the last year because of dogfighting concerns. The 30-year-old resident is currently in jail for allegedly stealing his impounded pit bull last week from Animal Control.

SOUTH BEND -- The man was no stranger to Animal Care and Control officials.

Staff had been keeping close watch on 30-year-old Timothy Watson (black) and his home for months because of lingering dogfighting concerns, according to Director of Code Enforcement Catherine Toppel.

Still, Animal Control employees were shocked last week when the suspected dogfighter allegedly stole his impounded pregnant pit bull from an Animal Control yard.

"She's a very pregnant female, and we just let her outside to relax," Toppel said. "The dog disappeared at the same time (the suspect) was at the shelter."

The owner first called the shelter asking about visiting his dog and was given permission to visit the animal in an enclosure behind a locked gate, according to a court affidavit.

A short time later, animal officials found the gate pried open and the pit bull missing, the affidavit said.

Police obtained a search warrant for Watson's home in the 200 block of South Village Way, but the man and the dog were not inside. However, an officer noticed a car matching the suspect's description drive past the house as the search was being conducted.

Police followed the car and pulled it over after a brief pursuit near Olive and Orange streets, reports said. Inside the car, police found the pit bull along with a gun.

"We were jumping for joy," Toppel said of the discovery. "That was wonderful news."

The tiger-striped pit bull was taken back to the shelter and is in good health, officials said.

Watson was charged Friday on multiple counts, including criminal mischief, a class B misdemeanor; carrying a handgun without a license, a class A misdemeanor; and resisting law enforcement and obstruction of justice, both class D felonies.

Without the quick action by Animal Control and police, Toppel said, the dog's puppies would likely have been sold and possibly trained to fight.

The mother canine was one of three dogs taken from the man's home Sept. 1 because of suspected dogfighting and are only the latest batch rescued from the residence.

"We just assume they're purchasing more or breeding more," she said. "More dogs just show up at the property."

A risky business

Animal Control has been to Watson's west side home six times in the last year and a-half, and seized between 12 and 15 pit bulls, officials say.

In the Sept. 1 case, officials took the animals because they were not licensed and later found that the dogs had heavy scarring, including an old infection on one dog's neck.

Another group of dogs was taken from the home earlier this summer, Toppel said, along with items related to dogfighting.

Prosecutors anticipate filing felony dogfighting charges against the suspect for the older case sometime this week, according to Catherine Wilson, director of media relations at the St. Joseph County Prosecutor's Office.

Neighbors say Watson moved to their Village Way neighborhood a little more than a year ago, and since then his canines have been a constant.

"It's been a headache for me," said Rose Ann Andrysiak, who has lived in the neighborhood for 50 years.

Andrysiak said her next-door neighbor goes out of town often, leaving multiple dogs alone.

"He left two dogs here, (and) he didn't leave enough food," she said, adding that she threw some lunch meat over the fence.

Another time, a male dog dug a hole under the suspect's fence and Andrysiak found the animal near her door barking madly.

"It scared the life out of me," she said.

Members of Nicole Martin's family have encountered Watson's pit bulls before and say for the most part they're friendly.

"They come out here a lot," Martin said.

Although the dogs have been affectionate to the Martins' two small children, their reaction to the family's beagle is another story.

"As soon as we take the dog out, they wanted to attack him," she said.

About a year ago, Martin said they called animal officials after witnessing a dogfight between two of Watson's pit bulls when one got loose.

Since then, the family doesn't take chances.

"We keep our beagle inside," she said.

An increasing area issue

In the South Bend area, dogfighting may be more common that some might think.

"It's really probably one of the fastest-growing animal problems in our area," said Eric Durcinka, executive director of the Humane Society of St. Joseph County.

Durcinka -- who has spent six years researching and speaking on the subject -- said a mix of reasons contribute to the dilemma. One explanation is South Bend is close to large cities like Detroit and Chicago but retains its rural areas.

"We have houses in the county that have 20 to 30 of these dogs," he said.

In the city, most dogfighting incidents are isolated, Toppel said, and the problem is not as severe.

The increasing problem fits with a growing trend nationally as well, according to AP reports.

More than 100 Web sites sell pit bull training gear, and about a dozen dogfighting magazines publish regularly, up from three in the 1980s.

The FBI keeps no statistics on the activity, but authorities estimate -- from breeders' advertisements, magazine subscription lists and previous arrests -- that at least 40,000 people in the United States breed or own pit bulls for fighting, according to AP reports.

Because of the growing problem locally, an ordinance was proposed just this month that may require pit bull breeders to pay $100 apiece to license puppies, according to past Tribune reports.

Owners also would be required to keep the animals in "six-sided" cages -- cages that have tops and bottoms as well as sides -- and would have to post "dangerous dog" signs in front of their homes.

The measure could get a public hearing later this year.

Although dogfighting paraphernalia such as treadmills and heavy chains can be easy to find, the actual brawls are not, Durcinka said.

"It's almost impossible to come across the actual fights in progress," he said.

The future appears bright for the pregnant pit bull's puppies due soon. Animal Control is in the process of contacting rescue agencies, and the pups will be raised normally, Toppel said.
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