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Fights illegal? You can bet on it

By ANDREW MEACHAM
Published August 12, 2006

THONOTOSASSA - After the dogs have been weighed, their handlers take them to opposite corners inside a plywood ring. Each handler wedges his pit bull between his knees and grabs a handful of fur at the scruff of the neck.

The referee gives the command, and the dogs turn to face each other. Then the handlers let go.

Organized dogfighting is illegal, but it's happening with increasing frequency in recent years.

This underground industry operates without detection. Authorities often don't know what to look for. No one except the dogfighters and their fans, it seems, can even believe it is going on.

Though statistics are hard to come by, Hillsborough authorities who scarcely knew of dogfighting a few years ago have made several arrests since 2004 and have four cases pending.

On raids, animal control and sheriff's officers find discarded dog carcasses and veterinary supplies. They find pit bulls, often malnourished and with infected wounds. They find magazines like Pit Bull Reporter, full of fighting lore and updates on dogfighting legislation.

Dogfighting in Hillsborough County has grown in 20 years from a hobby to an organized sport, with dog owners signing contracts and fighting for purses, Dennis McCullough of Animal Services said. Dogfighting busts often lead to arrests for gambling and drugs as well.

Animal Services in 2004 arrested Gregory Lamar Powe, then 32, of Temple Terrace, and accused him of confining more than 20 dogs without food or water. They found undernourished dogs - one badly injured - living in filthy backyard pens and in a bedroom. They also found dogfighting videos, veterinary medications, gambling paperwork and breeding publications like the Pit Bull Tribune.

Also in 2004, a South Tampa raid at the home of Rikky Alan Johnson, then 33, netted no dogs but animal fighting equipment, including a ring soaked in blood, according to Tampa police.

"We have seen them shot, tossed in the river, thrown in Dumpsters or just thrown in the trash," said Ken Vetzel, a Hillsborough County Animal Services investigator. "These are not pets by any means."

[Last modified August 12, 2006, 01:50:11]