COMMUNITY
The dog was a 3-year-old blue nose pit bull- mastiff mix found in an unincorporated area of Maricopa at the intersection of Wildwood and Ralston Roads. The dog, who Pinal County Animal Care and Control named Elliot, was covered head to tail with scars. “It was awful,” Michael recalled. “I mean this poor dog, I just felt so bad for him. He was a huge pit bull.” The dog had tick fever, valley fever and was experiencing kidney failure. Both of his front legs had been broken and healed wrong, he was emaciated, and his tongue was mutilated preventing him from eating or drinking. “He smelled really bad, and we couldn’t figure it out, and he wouldn’t eat,” Michael said. “Then we opened his mouth — and this was long before we had a vet on staff or anything like that — and his tongue was almost gone. I mean it was awful ... and he had sores everywhere.” It was believed Elliot was a bait dog or in a dog fighting ring, the director said. Unfortunately, Elliot died of his injuries, and no abuser was ever held accountable.
There was much evidence found that pointed to dog fighting, like chains and blood on the walls of the abandoned home where 18 of the dogs were found. Yet Hartfield only faced charges of animal cruelty and none related to staging dog fights or training dogs to kill or maim each other, simply because he had not been caught in the act, according to the narrative gathered from court records. Remmie, Harrison and Rou, who do not know each other, all said they had the same goal in coming forward to police and the press: That their testimony would inspire others to come forward until the alleged dog fighting ring was exposed and shut down, and those responsible for the abuse of the animals were behind bars. “I truly hope you are able to bring attention to this awful practice and make people aware of what goes on so close to their own homes in their perceived safe little community,” Remmie told InMaricopa . “I hope you can end this horror show and have arrests made.”
and there was no new information to share. Reporters were given this statement: “Reports of animal cruelty and crimes associated with animals are taken seriously and investigated thoroughly. While there is no evidence of organized illegal dog fighting taking place in the city of Maricopa, community members are encouraged to report unlawful activity to the police department.” Harrison warned reporters the people involved in the dog fighting ring were dangerous and will show up to people’s houses with weapons. InMaricopa contacted every veterinarian and animal hospital in the city. Maricopa Wells Veterinary Hospital and Exceptional Pets Maricopa had not recently received any battered animals nor heard anything regarding the dog fighting ring. Maricopa Animal Hospital and Wild West Vets did not respond to requests for comment. InMaricopa also contacted Pinal County Animal Care and Control to see if it had recently taken in any dogs suspected to be involved in dog fighting. “We haven’t,” said Director Audra Michael, but she said that doesn’t mean it’s not happening. “They say that the whole bait dog thing is a farce, that it’s not really true. I’ve had to watch dog fighting and it’s awful. It does happen, and I’m sure it happens around here, but we don’t really know where. They’re very careful about it; you need to know somebody and be like in the clique before they’ll let you in there.” Jennifer Bryan, founder of Alone No More Rescue in Phoenix, said dog fighting was very rare, but what she described matched witness statements perfectly. “If you see a dog from a dog fighting ring, there will be scars over that entire body, not just the face,” Bryan said. “To be honest, I truly don’t believe I’ve ever seen a true bait dog.” Michael said PCACC had received reports that led to it uncovering a cockfighting ring in Coolidge, but even with photographic evidence of the man ordering gaffs — a needle-like weapon fixed to one leg of the fighting bird — in his name, it still wasn’t enough to get a conviction. “It’s hard, it’s really hard,” Michael said. “I wish that they would have better laws, especially for animal cruelty in Arizona. And they are working on it, it’s just that the wording has to be just perfect, or the legislators aren’t going to vote for it.” PCACC took in a dog who appeared to be used in a dog fighting ring in September 2016.
Bringing up bad memories This is not the first time a dog fighting ring has been suspected of operating in Maricopa. In 2008, there was believed to be one in the Homestead community. A man named Damien Hartfield was arrested and 20 dogs were rescued from his home and the John Wayne RV Park — now the Wild West Ranch and RV Resort — where fights were organized. Five dead dogs were found. does happen, and I’m sure it happens around here, but we don’t really know where. AUDRA MICHAEL,DIRECTOR, PINAL COUNTY ANIMAL CARE AND CONTROL They say that the whole bait dog thing is a farce, that it’s not really true. I’ve had to watch dog fighting and it’s awful. It
Elias Weiss contributed to this report.
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InMaricopa.com | December 2024
December 2024 | InMaricopa.com
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