[Purple]

Two pit bulls die shortly after being found

By Alyssa LaRenzie


ALACHUA -- A lonely, brindle-colored pit bull sat near the road looking peaceful.

Michelle Dunlap, director of Phoenix Animal Rescue, noticed the dog without a collar on her way to drop off a different dog at a foster home and decided to check up on the pit bull on the way back.

About 30 minutes later, the dog was lying in a pool of blood next to the road.

Dunlap thought at first that the dog had been hit by a car, but after taking the dog to Gainesville Animal Hospital West to be treated, she knew that the pit bull had been the victim of a dog fight.

“She was dying when I found her,” Dunlap said.

The dog was the first of two found near there, just outside of Alachua.

Both were suspected to be injured as a result of dog fighting, and neither survived, Dunlap said.

She found the first dog, whom she named Sarah Ginger, at the intersection of County Road 235 and 91st Street on Sunday, Oct. 28.

The second pit bull, a black colored female, was rescued by Alachua County Animal Services the following day after a caller from the Alachua Learning Center informed the Sheriff’s Office.

Both dogs had suffered serious injuries to the face, neck and chest – injuries that had grown seriously infected, Dunlap said.

She has worked with pit bulls for more than eight years and said that the wounds were not characteristic of a typical dog squabble.

When dogs argue over a toy or another dog, the wounds generally occur on the back. The face, neck and chest wounds indicate that Sarah Ginger and the black pit bull were injured while on their backs trying to fight off their attackers.

Dr. Ray Henley, at the animal hospital that treated Sarah Ginger, saw the dog right after Dunlap picked her up.

“It was obvious she was in a fight,” he said.

Judging by how infected the wounds were, he believed that she had been attacked about two or three days prior to her rescue, as was likely the case with the other dog.

Dunlap believed that the two dogs were probably used as “bait dogs” in a weekend fight. A bait dog is a weaker dog that the dog fighters use for their fighting dogs to easily attack.

Sarah Ginger was likely somebody’s pet, based on the way that she behaved. She wagged her tail when she was rescued, while a stray would have been distrusting, and she felt comfortable in a house.

“She knew what a bed was,” Dunlap said.

After her rescue, donations were made to the clinic to help keep her alive in response to Dunlap’s advertisements.

Dunlap said one woman even called the clinic and asked what was happening at that minute. The doctor replied, “X-rays,” and the woman said she would pay for the test.

“The network of people that are willing to help with the rescue of animals... is really amazing to me,” Henley said.

He added that many animals die every day because of lack of funding, though if an injured animal is found and brought to a local veterinarian, Alachua County will pay for the treatment needed for stabilization.

Through the PayPal Website and direct donations to the clinic, Sarah Ginger’s entire clinic bill of about $300 was paid for, and the remaining money was earmarked to pay for future care of rescued pit bulls, Dunlap said.

Despite the public support, Sarah Ginger died on Tuesday, Oct. 30, most likely from hypothermia as a result of her infections.

The black pit bull was humanely euthanized due to the extent of her injuries and because nobody came to claim her, according to Officer Brad Fox at Alachua County Animal Services.

Dog fighting rings have persisted in the area for quite some time, she said, yet only one officer covers dog fighting. That officer also covers pawnshops, which usually take precedence.

“The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office needs to recognize that dog fighting is such a big problem in our area,” she said. “One officer needs to be assigned to dog fighting.”

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[bahamutt99]

Hold the phone. Squabble injuries occur on the back? Well dang, my dogs have been doing it wrong all these years! I need to tell them! (Gah. Sorry. Media-induced cynicism here.)

[airwalk]

Sometimes...the things the media writes, oy! but it's still a very sad tale..and there is nothing sadder than a bait dog.

[Noelle's Mom]

Sounds to me like that is what the reporter was told by the vet. Why would she question what a vet says especially when they claim to have worked with Pit Bulls for the past eight years?

It is awesome how the community stepped up to try and help.