Officials investigating dogfighting in the area say a Penn Hills man charged with being part of a multi-county ring has figured heavily in the local scene for many years.
Robert C. "Doc" Cooper, 48, owner of Cooper's Animal Supply on Robinson Boulevard, is charged with two counts each of cruelty to animals — a third-degree felony — along with misdemeanor violations of the Pennsylvania Pharmacy Act.
Cooper is accused of promoting and assisting a dogfighting ring that stretched from McKeesport into Westmoreland County and beyond. Investigators say he was involved in holding forfeiture money for dogs as well as supplying Droncit, a dog wormer available legally only through a veterinarian.
Two years ago, when authorities were investigating a dogfighting ring in Clairton, Cooper spoke to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He denied any direct involvement other than to attend to dogs that may have been injured in a fight.
"I'm not going to lie to you — I'll tell (people with fight-injured dogs) what to do," Cooper said at the time. "I'm 100 percent against pit-bull fighting. It's horrible what they do to these dogs."
He did say that interest in the sport is more prevalent than many people realize.
"There are some prominent people involved in this stuff, like lawyers and school teachers," Cooper said. "This is not just your ghetto kid. This goes deeper than anybody knows."
According to court documents filed Friday with McKeesport District Justice Thomas Breletic by the Pennsylvania State Police, undercover troopers visited Cooper's Animal Supply on several occasions in October and November 2001, then returned in May.
"In order to have Cooper hold your forfeit money, you have to put it in an envelope and go to Cooper's store with the person who owns the other dog involved in an upcoming fight," the documents state. "Cooper would take the envelope of money and keep it in a drawer behind the counter at the pet store."
Trooper Timothy Knapp stated that after a dogfight, both parties were required to call Cooper to report the winner, after which the owner could go to the store to retrieve the money.
Knapp and an undercover operative said they visited Cooper in November 2001 and gave him $200 to hold as forfeit money. A month later, they went back and Cooper returned the money.
On two other occasions, in October 2001 and then in May, Knapp said he purchased Droncit from Cooper's Animal Supply, described in the affidavit as a medication available legally only from a veterinarian.
Allegheny County Assistant District Attorney Debbie Jugan, who handles many dogfighting cases, has classified organized dog fighting into a "pyramid" of four levels — based, in part, on participants, the number of fights, the number of locations, betting amounts and level of sophistication in the operation.
"There is an upsurge in the lowest form — the street fighters — whom I would characterize as the 'wannabee dog men' or 'doggers,'" Jugan said, adding that, at the other end of the spectrum — or at the top of the pyramid — is a group of enthusiasts who call themselves "elite fanciers" or "fast-trackers."
Jugan declined to comment on the potential level of betting in the latest round of arrests, although court documents indicate that bets could have gone as high as $50,000.
