36 Pit Bulls found

[ACO]

36 malnourished pit bulls found at foreclosed Johnson County home
By ANDREW CHAVEZSpecial to the Star-Telegram
Related Content
Star-Telegram/Tom Pennington
The Humane Society of North Texas took in 36 malnourished pit bulls found Tuesday outside a home in Johnson County. Star-Telegram/Tom Pennington


FORT WORTH — The Humane Society’s East Lancaster Avenue shelter was overflowing Tuesday afternoon. In addition to the 100 or so dogs the shelter receives each day, 36 malnourished, scarred pit bulls had just arrived from Johnson County.

The dogs were found when authorities foreclosed on a property in the 3900 block of Reese Drive between Venus and Mansfield, said Detective Steve Shaw, an animal cruelty investigator with the Johnson County Sheriff’s Department.

A manufactured house was being removed from the property when deputies arrived, he said.

Tammy Hawley, director of operations for the Humane Society of North Texas, said the dogs had been attached with heavy chains to buried car axles and could roam about a 5- to 10-foot circle.

Their injuries were consistent with dogfighting, she said, but it was impossible to tell simply from their condition if they had been used in or bred for organized dogfighting.

Officers spoke with the owner, who wasn’t living in the home, he said.

A hearing has been set for July 3, when a judge will decide whether to impound the dogs or return them to the owner, Hawley said.

[ACO]

Dozens of pit bulls seized in Johnson County
By Andrew ChavezStar-Telegram Staff Writer

Johnson County sheriff’s deputies seized about 40 pit bulls and pit-bull mixes from property behind a manufactured home between Venus and Mansfield on Tuesday.

Four dogs were found dead, and 36 were taken to the Humane Society of North Texas in Fort Worth, sheriff's Detective Steve Shaw said.

"We got a complaint for animal cruelty, and we found the dogs in poor condition," Shaw said.

There were pans of dirty, stagnant water for the animals, but there was no food.

The dogs were chained behind the residence and were malnourished, and some of the pit bulls had scars. Shaw said investigators are trying to determine if the dogs were used for fighting.

Shaw said he is obtaining a search warrant for the home in the 3900 block of Reese Drive between Venus and Mansfield.

The mobile home was being removed from the property when deputies arrived, he said, and the property owner was not at the scene.

[Chiaki]

" A hearing has been set for July 3, when a judge will decide whether to impound the dogs or return them to the owner, Hawley said."


Screw that! That person should NOT be allowed to have them back!!!!!!!

[ACO]

Seized dogs are rated dangerous by Humane Society
By ANDREW CHAVEZSpecial to the Star-Telegram

FORT WORTH — Most, if not all, of the 36 pit bulls and pit-bull mixes seized Tuesday from a property in Johnson County likely will be euthanized, a Humane Society official said Wednesday.

Workers at the Humane Society of North Texas shelter have evaluated about half of the dogs and determined that they would be dangerous to the public and to other dogs if they were released, said Tammy Hawley, director of operations.

Some of the dogs have attempted to attack other dogs and don’t back down as dogs typically do, she said.

"Somebody somewhere has encouraged this type of behavior," Hawley said. "They’re very eager to please and want to do what someone taught them to do."

On Tuesday, Johnson County Sheriff’s Department investigators executed a search warrant authorizing them to look for dogfighting paraphernalia on the property where the dogs were found, according to the warrant, which was released Wednesday.

Authorities were first called to the lot in the 3900 block of Reese Drive between Venus and Mansfield when workers foreclosing on the property saw chained animals. Officers found four dead dogs and seized 36 pit bulls and pit-bull mixes and a German shepherd, sheriff’s Detective Steve Shaw said.

In a search-warrant affidavit, Shaw wrote that a Humane Society investigator looked through a glass door of a mobile home and saw syringes, medications and other items that "would be used in treating dogs injured in fighting."

The search warrant identified the property owners as John Charles Phillips and Jennifer L. Phillips. No phone listing could be found for the couple.

A court hearing is set for July 3 to determine whether the dogs will be returned to the owners. If they’re not, they likely will remain in the custody of the Humane Society, Hawley said.

[Chiaki]

WTF is wrong with people??? It kills me to hear about people doing things like this to animals. Poor dogs....