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Man arrested, 37 pit bulls seized
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<DIV>An investigation into a dogfighting training facility in west Shreveport has resulted in the arrest of a Shreveport man and the seizure of 37 pit bulls.
Twenty-six of the dogs had scars and lacerations consistent with dogfighting and were euthanized on the scene, said Rick Quilin, an investigator with Caddo Animal Control.
The remaining 11 pit bulls, which appear to be 6 to 9 months old, were taken to kennels at Caddo Animal Control but will be euthanized as well if their owners don't post $350 bond within the next 15 days, he said.
Michael Allen Tucker, 49, of the 7700 block of Blanchard-Latex Road in Shreveport told authorities that all of the pit bulls belong to him. He was booked on one count of dogfighting after state police, Caddo sheriff's deputies and Caddo Animal Control agents raided two locations in the 5300 block of Henry-Tucker Road, state police Trooper James Cormier said.
Authorities said they also have identified another suspect and may come up with more.
The dogs likely were picked out of various litters to be trained to fight, Quillin said. "We cannot put these dogs up for adoption because these dogs are not fit for society. We are not breed specific, but the people who fight the dogs are."
The raids Thursday resulted from a yearlong investigation. But authorities have photographs of dirt circles dating to 2001 that prove that training has been going on there for a while, Quilin said.
"This is, in fact, a training facility for pit bulls. And it's no more different than a drug site or any other criminal site. This is the most dogs we've ever got in one stop."
Authorities also seized manuals and equipment typically used to train pit bulls for fighting along with medication given to dogs before and after fighting.
They believe some of the items indicate at least one of the sites raided has been used for dogfight matches.
"They had treadmills; that's big in fighting dogs," said Michael Dale, director of Caddo Animal Control. Animal hides were attached to fishing poles and dangled near the dogs' heads to urge them to run on the treadmills.
"They had portable fighting pits, scales for weighing them to make sure they are in the correct weight class during fights and quite a bit of medication in the refrigerator at a remote location."
The drugs, some controlled, included antibiotics, steroids, shock therapy, medication for worming and IVs that are used to replace fluids lost during a duel. Some of the medication was distributed through a veterinarian and possibly could be traced by law officials, Dale said.
"The types of medicines we found normally are used to get the dog in tip-top shape to (fight) and after the fight," Dale said.
Caddo Commissioner David Cox of Shreveport, who is heading a city-parish initiative to put together a law to regulate dog ownership and dogfighting, watched as officials raided the locations Thursday.
"It was disgusting, and it needs to be stopped," said Cox, who represents District 10. "To think in this day and time we can be this barbaric, that's sad. If we don't do something about it soon, I fear it's going to tear our area apart."</DIV>
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<HR style="COLOR: #181b16" SIZE=1>
<DIV>An investigation into a dogfighting training facility in west Shreveport has resulted in the arrest of a Shreveport man and the seizure of 37 pit bulls.
Twenty-six of the dogs had scars and lacerations consistent with dogfighting and were euthanized on the scene, said Rick Quilin, an investigator with Caddo Animal Control.
The remaining 11 pit bulls, which appear to be 6 to 9 months old, were taken to kennels at Caddo Animal Control but will be euthanized as well if their owners don't post $350 bond within the next 15 days, he said.
Michael Allen Tucker, 49, of the 7700 block of Blanchard-Latex Road in Shreveport told authorities that all of the pit bulls belong to him. He was booked on one count of dogfighting after state police, Caddo sheriff's deputies and Caddo Animal Control agents raided two locations in the 5300 block of Henry-Tucker Road, state police Trooper James Cormier said.
Authorities said they also have identified another suspect and may come up with more.
The dogs likely were picked out of various litters to be trained to fight, Quillin said. "We cannot put these dogs up for adoption because these dogs are not fit for society. We are not breed specific, but the people who fight the dogs are."
The raids Thursday resulted from a yearlong investigation. But authorities have photographs of dirt circles dating to 2001 that prove that training has been going on there for a while, Quilin said.
"This is, in fact, a training facility for pit bulls. And it's no more different than a drug site or any other criminal site. This is the most dogs we've ever got in one stop."
Authorities also seized manuals and equipment typically used to train pit bulls for fighting along with medication given to dogs before and after fighting.
They believe some of the items indicate at least one of the sites raided has been used for dogfight matches.
"They had treadmills; that's big in fighting dogs," said Michael Dale, director of Caddo Animal Control. Animal hides were attached to fishing poles and dangled near the dogs' heads to urge them to run on the treadmills.
"They had portable fighting pits, scales for weighing them to make sure they are in the correct weight class during fights and quite a bit of medication in the refrigerator at a remote location."
The drugs, some controlled, included antibiotics, steroids, shock therapy, medication for worming and IVs that are used to replace fluids lost during a duel. Some of the medication was distributed through a veterinarian and possibly could be traced by law officials, Dale said.
"The types of medicines we found normally are used to get the dog in tip-top shape to (fight) and after the fight," Dale said.
Caddo Commissioner David Cox of Shreveport, who is heading a city-parish initiative to put together a law to regulate dog ownership and dogfighting, watched as officials raided the locations Thursday.
"It was disgusting, and it needs to be stopped," said Cox, who represents District 10. "To think in this day and time we can be this barbaric, that's sad. If we don't do something about it soon, I fear it's going to tear our area apart."</DIV>
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