I’d like to say thank you to both the South Bend Tribune and reporter Alicia Gallegos for their seven day series on Pit Bulls and Dog Fighting that appeared over the past week.  The articles portrayed a variety of topics ranging from the misunderstood nature of the breed,  the ineffectiveness of breed specific laws,  the presence of dog fighting in our community, and more. Here is a summary of the articles.

November 30, 2008 – What does the future hold for a breed labeled by fighting?

SOUTH BEND — The tiny, unassuming home on Gale Road stands in a lot overgrown with grass and trash, its windows boarded and its paint peeling….
November 30, 2008 – Pit bulls: Menace vs. misunderstood

In an old warehouse a few blocks from the Animal Control shelter, a room is crowded with tiny treadmills, handmade weights and duct-taped chains….
December 1, 2008 – Did the dog have to die?

SOUTH BEND — The boy had never walked the dog without his mother before, but it was just a quick trek around the block…
December 1, 2008 – Pit bull owner: Kind treatment is key

SOUTH BEND — Outside a downtown shop on a recent warm afternoon, Bobby Thomas stands with his beloved pit bull, Patch, as the cars whiz past….
December 2, 2008 – Breed-specific laws spreading

Across the country, the pit bull has become an outlaw, banished from certain city and county limits….
December 2, 2008 – All bark or forced bite?

MISHAWAKA — Cocoa, a 3-year-old dark brown pit bull, lovingly snuggles into the arms of her family, her head nudging any set of open hands….
December 3, 2008 – Faces of neglect

It was a peaceful Sunday morning, and Lucy Cruz was inside her home along Fillmore Road when she heard her granddaughter scream….
December 4, 2008 – Dog fighting: Underground, overlooked

SOUTH BEND — As the year moved toward 2006, the amount of evidence against the 38-year-old man seemed ample….
December 4, 2008 – Some pit bulls just ‘want to fight’

MISHAWAKA — Michael DeCauwer insists he’s no dog fighter….
December 5, 2008 – Pets stolen, used as bait

SOUTH BEND — It wasn’t unusual for strangers to pet Joseph Lapadat’s pit bull puppy, Justice, when he took her for walks….
December 6, 2008 – A happy ending for neglected pit bull

GRANGER — As the charcoal-colored pit bull bounds and bounces around, the dog appears as if he has always lived in the comfort of this family home….
December 6, 2008 – Communities seek solutions to abuse

Belinda Lewis had heard all the talk about pit bulls: bite stories, attack concerns, overbreeding issues….

Hopefully these articles will open the eyes of many people in our community.  It is not the breed we should be outlawing, it is the disgusting human beings who have trained and encouraged these innocent dogs to fight,  that should be prosecuted.

As dog-loving members of this community we cannot continue to turn a blind eye to this tragedy.  We need to work with our local law enforcement agencies and animal welfare organizations to put an end to this senseless violence, abuse, and slaughter.   If you see, hear, or witness animal abuse or dog fighting, call the police immediately. Dog fighting is a felony in Indiana. Speak up and be a voice for the voiceless.