225 Pit Bulls To Be Put Down

[Catherine Vincent]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4125344.html

Aug. 18, 2006, 8:29AM

Court orders most of 285 pit bulls to be put to death


By CINDY HORSWELL
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

Most of the 285 pit bull terriers seized from what authorities said was a nationwide breeding operation for dogfighting were ordered euthanized Thursday. If carried out, it would be the largest number of dogs seized by the Houston Humane Society ever put to death, a spokeswoman said.

Liberty County Justice of the Peace Phil Fitzgerald issued the euthanasia order after a hearing in which a veterinarian testified that pit bulls trained for fighting usually cannot be rehabilitated as pets.

The only exception in Fitzgerald's order was for puppies under 6 months of age, which the veterinarian said could be reformed. Fitzgerald ordered pups under 6 months of age — about 60 of the seized dogs — to be sold at public auction. If nobody buys the pups, they are to be put up for adoption through the Humane Society, the judge said.

The pit bull breeding facility was uncovered Aug. 2, when authorities were dispatched to a 23-acre spread near Cleveland to investigate a fatal home invasion. According to investigators, Thomas F. Weigner Jr., 27, bled to death after being shot in the leg by three masked intruders. His wife, Julie Laban, their three children and her parents witnessed the shooting while bound with tape.

...more

[Virginia Dare]

1. That's a horrifying story...

how many more evil whack jobs like him are there out there?

[Gormy Cuss]

2. Selling puppies at public auction?

Ugh. I don't suppose they plan to vet the buyers to make sure they aren't just going to another illegal breeding farm. I wonder why the judge didn't include requirements for spaying and neutering given the fact that people have been trying to steal these dogs because the breeder was known for his fighting dogs.

[11cents]

4. The judge's order sounds completely nuts.

Auction the surviving dogs off -- and he specifically forbids the them from being spayed or neutered first! It's as if he wants them to be bought by dogfighters.

[Critters2]

5. In many states,

the law requires any dog gotten from a shelter or rescue to be spayed/neutered. In states with such a law, these dogs would fit the requirement and need to be sterilized. I don't know whether Texas has such a law (nothing would surprise me about Texas).

[RamboLiberal]

3. That judge is dumb - no way should these pups be auctioned

They'll end up either with either more idiots who fight dogs or in research for the most part. If they were ordered spayed and neutered first it would at least cut down on the former.

These dogs should go to the humane society, and if the local humane society couldn't handle the influx I would think a plea for various no-kill shelters to take a pup or two could work.

[keepCAblue]

6. "sold at public auction" wtf?

This concerns me? Why not put the puppies up for adoption in the first place, with screening mechanisms in place to ensure they are going only to responsible guardians. "Sold at public auction" relegates these living beings to commodity status, i.e., surplus merchandise. And WHO is reaping the gains from the sale of these puppies? Liberty County? Deplorable decision by the judge. First these dogs--adults and puppies--are exploited and victimized by the scumbag breeder...and now by the Liberty County and the justice of the peace, Fitzgerald.

Help save the bully breeds from mankind: http://www.cafepress.com/howlywood

[LeftyMom]

7. Will they be screening the puppy buyers?

If you don't other dog fighters will try to get them, you can bet on it.

That's good that they'll try to save the puppies, often after these digfighting stings they'll euthanize anything bigger than a tick, no matter what it's temprament is, but they're going about it all wrong if they want to get them socialized and into decent homes.