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Stolen dogs' fate worse than death?
By Edward Terry, News-Topic EditorWhat's worse than finding approximately 80 dogs, most likely used for entertainment in the form of fighting, on private property with varying degrees of physical abuse? Having saved those 80 dogs from a cruel and unusual fate, then losing nearly half of them - likely associates of those responsible for the abuse in the first place. That's apparently what has happened as approximately 40 of the pit bulls disappeared - dognapped may be a better word - from the property over the weekend. Only 37 dogs remained on the property, and these were the animals least fit for fighting, which has not officially been alleged but is suspected by various sources. The best dogs were stolen from the crime scene. Undoubtedly these animals were bound for a chemical death, unable to cope with a normal existence after being mistreated and likely trained to kill. Upon hearing that more than half the remaining animals disappeared, my initial reaction was one of relief. Some selfless animal lover has invaded this private property and taken them to a home where they'll be loved and appreciated, I thought. The facts say differently. The 40 or so that were taken were of the best blood lines. In other words, the “winners” among these unlucky creatures. The best fighters, the strongest breeders and the most vicious probably will live to “fight” another day. In my opinion a humane death would have been a better fate. It's a sad fact, but someone out there values their own personal gratification - cash, fame in the sub-culture and the sadistic pleasure of hurting a living creature - over the well-being of a fellow living creature. Sometimes I'm ashamed to be a member of the human race. The incident in Dudley Shoals has shined a bright light on animal abuse and the world of dogfighting, but unfortunately those activities will go on. Not necessarily in Dudley Shoals, but somewhere else (maybe even somewhere else in Caldwell County). At first, this story seemed like a win for the “good guys.” The weekend dog theft puts an end to any form of celebration. Hopefully, the “bad guys” who stole those animals made some major errors that could lead law enforcement authorities to another dogfighting operation. (How can someone transport 40 dogs without being noticed?) Obviously, they were smart enough to get away with 40 large animals in an area that had been under the microscope for several days - so I'm not holding my breath on that one. More importantly, I hope that the incident doesn't weaken the prosecution's case in bringing whoever is responsible for these offenses to justice. Those dogs were evidence and should have been treated as such. If anyone has information on the whereabout of these animals or the people who may be responsible, please contact Animal Control at 828-757-8625. Edward Terry Editor eterry@newstopic.net
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