October 22, 2007
This travesty is happening right now! These dogs have survived the alleged "dog fighters" and "their wounds" but it's unclear if they'll be able to escape with their lives from the 'Kill, Kill, Kill', one-track minded "Humane" Society! Perhaps if enough of us act quickly we can help convince the Sheriff that a change in plans might be in order before this becomes yet another tragic story of dogs destroyed by the Humaniacs that love to 'save them' by killing them all.
They start out the story saying the "Humane" Society is going to evaluate the dogs, but then further along in the story the "Humane" Society spokeswoman says they'll all likely be killed even though the Sheriff says how nice and friendly and gentle all the dogs are, and the picture below proves it; none of the dogs shown look menacing AT ALL! The brindle dog looks to be in very good shape to me, and also how were the vick dogs, which he admitted were "fighting dogs", by and large able to be rehabilitated and these don't stand a chance because of some pat argument about them being "bred to be fighters"? Why should the dogs suffer at all, no matter their owners' actions? These are all lies and disinformation handed out as though this "Humane" Society is some authority, when these comments clearly show they are not. I'm surprised the "Humane" Society didn't try to talk the Sheriff into believing the beagle was a "bait dog" too, since it seems beyond them that any of these dogs could just be their pets.
I urge all of you to email, call or fax this Sheriff and ask that he find an independent, unbiased Agency to evaluate the dogs because the "Humane" Society is notoriously kill crazy with regard to pit bulldogs. I just can't believe how obvious they're being in their rush to kill these dogs, some of which are puppies. Of course the adults shouldn't be destroyed simply because they happen to be dog aggressive either! Also, how about the men who are accused be considered innocent until they're proven guilty and not have their property precipitously destroyed.
This is truly a potential tragedy, but maybe if enough of us appeal for justice he'll reconsider.
Please make POLITE requests for review and change of evaluating agency to:
Stoddard County Sheriff
Carl Hefner
PO Box 319
Bloomfield, MO 63825
573-568-4654
573-568-4654 fax
I couldn't find an email for the Sheriff himself but here is the Stoddard County Clerk, I'm sure they can pass them along:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
(I've added the emphasis to the story below)
Tenn. man arrested after Missouri dogfighting arrests
By JIM SALTER
Associated Press Writer
ST. LOUIS
Officials at the Humane Society of Missouri are evaluating 26 dogs rescued from an alleged dogfighting ring to determine if they can be rehabilitated or if they will have to be euthanized.
An anonymous tip alerted authorities in southeast Missouri, who staked out a rural home near Dexter, Stoddard County Sheriff Carl Hefner said Monday. Three people were arrested, including a Tennessee man.
Deputies moved in as participants gathered Saturday night for what authorities said would be a fighting event. The property owner, 29-year-old Jamie Sifford of Dudley, Mo., was arrested, along with Jessey Short, 30, of Cape Girardeau, and Curtis Pickering, 28, of South Fulton, Tenn.
All three were charged with felony dogfighting. Sifford was also charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. Sifford may face additional charges for violating probation, Hefner said. All three remain jailed Short and Pickering in lieu of $125,000 bail, Sifford without bail.
The dogs consisted of 25 pit bulls and one beagle. Authorities believe the beagle was not involved in fighting. Hefner said the animals had several bite wounds, new and old, but they believe the men involved were relative novices.
"This is the first thing like this we've ever dealt with," Hefner said.
The dogs, Hefner said, were surprisingly gentle considering they were bred to fight.
"They weren't aggressive to us at all," he said. "You could walk up to them and they'd jump up and lick you. But whenever they'd make eye contact with a dog chained next to them, they'd get aggressive toward each other."
Humane Society spokeswoman Jeane Jae said all 26 dogs will survive their wounds, but because they were bred to be fighters, will likely be euthanized.
"It's very sad the dogs have to suffer for the actions of humans," she said.
The arrests comejust months after dogfighting was thrust into the national spotlight with the arrest and guilty plea of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick. Tim Rickey, director of rescues and investigations for the Humane Society of Missouri, said the Vick case has raised awareness of the crime and led to some tips but few specifics.
"People are reporting generic tips," he said. "It takes quite a bit to get to one of these properties when the fights are happening."
In the Stoddard County case, Hefner said authorities watched as the three participants gathered with their dogs, then moved in before fighting actually occurred.
The fights were staged in abarn in a rural area near Dexter, about 160 miles south of St. Louis. Inside, investigators found a dogfighting ring, a bloodstained tarp, a device to weigh the dogs and equipment used to train them weighted sleds that the dogs pulled to build muscle, collars weighing as much as 20 pounds to build neck muscle, treadmills. Also found were medical supplies used to treat the injured animals.
...
Here is a picture from another news story where it can be clearly seen that at least one is a puppy and that another is so friendly it is jumping up on the guy and looks to me to be wagging it's tail:
From this story:
"The picture in the center on the bottom is of a treadmill used for endurance training with the dogs. This is an item designed specifically for dog fighting. The dog at left center was one of the youngest on the premises. He is shown nuzzling up to Stoddard County K-9 officer Andy Holden."
https://www.dailystatesman.com/story/1285828.html
"Nuzzling". Can they possibly convince people that such an animal deserves to be destroyed simply because of its breed? Since when is a treadmill "designed specifically for dog fighting"? That is a blatant lie1 which probably also came from the "Humane" Society.
[1] aroundhawaii.com - exercising_your_dog_on_the_treadmill