Vick's dogfighting puts spotlight on troubling trend

Mary Ann, a friendly, light-colored 10-month-old pit bull, is missing her right ear and most of her left.

The staff at Animal Friends in Ohio Township, where Mary Ann lives, believes she suffered the injuries in a dogfight.

"We've made a lot of progress in this area, but we used to be really high on the radar for dogfighting," said Kathy Hecker, a humane officer with Animal Friends. "When I started this job 17 years ago, Pittsburgh was right up there."

Dogfighting has gained national prominence in recent weeks with accusations that Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick organized and participated in dogfights. Yesterday, Vick formally pleaded guilty to federal dogfighting charges and faces up to five years in prison. The NFL has suspended Vick indefinitely.

Despite the unsettling details of Vick's case, animal shelters and animal-rights groups see the positive: dogfighting is being exposed for what it is.

Randy Lockwood, senior vice president of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said Pennsylvania's animal-fighting laws are among the best in the country.

Dogfighting is a felony in Pennsylvania, punishable by fines up to $15,000 and seven years in prison.

Those penalties can be imposed on anyone who wagers on dogfights, pays for admission to a dogfight or attends a dogfight as a spectator.

Mike Manko, spokesman for the Allegheny County district attorney's office, said he was not aware of any active dogfighting cases.

A 2001 case that broke open a large dogfighting ring in Clairton involved an owner named Lance Cheadle and a dog who came to be known as Cookie, Hecker said.

When he was found, Cookie weighed 27 pounds, had broken teeth and had lost most of his tail. Cheadle was convicted of dogfighting and served 21 days in jail, but authorities never found his stud dog, Romeo, who Hecker said was sold for $13,000.

"We found the receipt, but we never found the dog," she said.

Cookie went on to become a model for the Allegheny Abused Animal Relief Fund, which raised awareness and money for dogs injured in fights and otherwise abused.

Cookie will retire as the AAARF spokesdog during a ceremony Sept. 15, Hecker said.

While pit bulls are the most common breed used in fights, Shelley Rosenberg had nothing but praise for the breed. Rosenberg, coordinator of humane investigations for the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society, places the blame for aggression on irresponsible owners.

"It's so totally against a pit bull to have them aggressive toward people," Rosenberg said. "They're very stable. Ninety percent of (the blame for dogfighting) is due to breeding."

There's no officially recognized pit bull breed; most often when people say "pit bull," they're referring to the American Staffordshire terrier, Hecker said.

Breeding pit bulls with Cane Corso or mastiffs produces big, aggressive dogs, a disturbing trend among some urban youth, Rosenberg said.

Pit bulls are very stoic animals, Rosenberg said, which means they're unlikely to complain if injured. "They have a very high tolerance for pain, which makes it that much worse when they're injured in a fight," she said.

During September, Animal Friends in Ohio Township will celebrate "Bully Breed Month," with activities centered on breeds like pit bulls, bull terriers, mastiffs, boxers and Rottweilers.

The program includes a discussion Sept. 19 called "Pit Bulls: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," and a Sept. 20 workshop focused on investigative techniques for dog fighting aimed at law enforcement officers and animal welfare workers.

Details: 412-847-7000 or Animal Friends