Fighting Scars Linger for Dogs Seized in Raids

Fay looks menacing as her teeth jut out from a mouth without lips, which have been ripped from her face along with part of her nose during vicious dogfights.

In this Sept. 14, 2009 photo, Fay a 5-year-old Pit Bull that was rescued during the July 8...

In this Sept. 14, 2009 photo, Fay a 5-year-old Pit Bull that was rescued during the July 8 multi-state dog fighting raid is seen in St. Louis. Four eastern Missouri men arrested as part of a federal crackdown on dogfighting in several states pleaded guilty Monday to conspiracy and other crimes. The four, along with a fifth co-defendant who pleaded guilty Sept. 4, are the first convictions resulting from the largest coordinated multi-state raids on dogfighting in U.S. history. (AP Photo/St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Dawn Majors)

(AP)

But the 5-year-old black American pit bull terrier, one of the pitiful casualties of an illegal practice, wags her tail relentlessly and offers her scarred body to be petted by strangers. She cuddles easily in the arms of a caretaker.

After the first guilty pleas from the largest coordinated multistate raids on dogfighting in U.S. history, the Humane Society of Missouri offered a first look this week at some of the hundreds of dogs seized in the July 8 raids and puppies born since.

The Missouri group alerted the government to the dogfighting 18 months ago and coordinated rescues in two of the states.

Humane Society video of the bust showed dogs missing ears and whole legs, or bearing deep scars and puncture wounds. It chronicled canines, some appearing malnourished, tethered on 2-inch wide collars to 25-pound log chains attached to spikes on dirt pads or overgrown weed patches. In some cases, the dogs' water supply was green with algae.

"We saw severely mutilated dogs missing eyes, ears and limbs," said Tim Rickey, director of the Humane Society of Missouri's anti-cruelty task force. "Their condition is bad enough, but to know that three-legged dogs were forced to fight for their survival is too much."

Four eastern Missouri men arrested as part of a federal crackdown pleaded guilty Monday to conspiracy and other crimes, admitting their roles in breeding, training, trafficking, fighting and destroying pit bulls in a lucrative dogfighting network.

The four, along with a fifth co-defendant who pleaded guilty Sept. 4, were the first convictions from the raids. Authorities arrested 26 people and seized more than 500 dogs in Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Texas.

Agents also seized dog conditioning equipment and "rape stands" used to strap females into place to be bred. Rickey said breeding is a critical part of the industry because fighting dogs don't live long, and new pups are needed to replenish the supply.