NYC Bloodsport

The Giants are heading south to play Atlanta this evening and the Falcons won't have their star quarterback, after Michael Vick was caught running a dogfighting ring out of his Virginia home. It turns out that New York City might be the nation's dogfighting capital though. The New York Post reported yesterday that Bronx resident Ralph Reyes runs an unlicensed kennel out of the basement of a residential walk-up building on Valentine Ave. That's where he allegedly breeds and supplies American Pit Bull Terriers for fights to the death.

According to the Humane Society of the United States, Reyes doesn't just breed the dogs, but he operates a dogfighting ring that the HSUS considers one of the 20 largest in the nation.

Fighters come from as far as Puerto Rico, Florida and Texas to match their dogs with purses ranging from $300 to $300,000 for prized fighters and crowds swelling to 500, sources have told The Post.

"The Super Bowl of dogfighting shows come to New York City," Goodwin said.

John Goodwin, the manager of the HSUS Animal Fighting Task Force, says that NYC is big in the dog fighting world because there is virtually no enforcement against the practice. The HSUS itself gave up its New York investigation into Reyes because it said the organization could get no cooperation from the NYPD. Reyes, for his part, denies that he has anything to do with dogfighting.

Separately, New Yorker Alex Aliksanyan spent a half million dollars to establish The Buddy Fund, which runs a web site called DogsInDanger.com out of a Broadway office. The site works with government shelters around the country and lists dogs that are in imminent danger of being put to sleep due to shelter overcrowding. The hope is to match dogs with just a few days to live with families willing to adopt them.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Dave Hogarty in Arts and Events on October 15, 2007 4:58 PM

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MarygraceNYC

Taken from HUA

http://www.hua.org/dog-theft.html

Protect Your Dog from Loss or Theft

It is estimated that 1.5 million dogs and cats are stolen every year in this country. "Bunchers" roam the streets and drive the back roads of the rural areas in search of dogs to sell to laboratories or to be used as bait to train dogs to fight. Some are resold to new families. They lure dogs with pieces of steak and even steal them from their own back yards.

Just imagine for a moment how your dog would feel if he was stolen and was sold to a laboratory where he was used for experiments. He would be wondering what he did wrong. He would be so sad and lonely. And he would die in pain. Or imagine if he was sold to a dog fighting ring. They mutilate dogs to encourage their dogs to learn to fight. He would die in terror.

Your dog relies on you to protect him.

The first line of defense is always a good offense.

1. Do not ever let your dog roam.

2. Every dog should have a fenced yard. The only safe fence is one that protects your dog from anyone who would try to come in and steal him. An electric fence only keeps your dog in it does not prevent another dog from coming in and hurting him or a bunched from coming onto your property and taking him. (Also, in our experience electric fences do not work for many breeds.)

3. Even with a fenced yard, no dog should be outside without supervision of his people. No dog should be left outside when their people are gone. No dog should be able to go to the yard when his people are at work.

4. You should have many current photos of your dog. A photo of your puppy when he was 6 months old is not going to help much if he is stolen when he's two years old.

5. Be certain that your dog has tags that have your name and phone number on them. Put the word "REWARD" in large letters at the top of the tag so anyone who has stolen your dog will have incentive to call you about him rather than sell him.

6. We do not recommend tattooing your dog because we know of dogs who have had their ears cut off because they were tattooed.

7. Microchip your dog. AVID is the most recognized of microchips. Talk to your vet about getting your dog chipped.

What to do if your dog is missing.

1. Call every shelter, veterinary clinic, law enforcement office within a 100 miles. Many dogs can run very fast and get far away quickly. But also, sometimes bunchers will dump dogs miles and miles away from their homes.

2. Call every radio and tv station including public radio and tv and cable stations. Ask them to run an announcement. Offering a large reward sometimes will encourage them to run the announcement.

3. Call everyone you know to join in the search. Get search parties out in organized patterns immediately. The majority of pets who are found are found within 24 hours so act as quickly and without as much people power as possible.

4. Put up REWARD posters all over the area. They should be large, in color and with photos. Many copy centers can make color copies. You can take a photo to them and have them enlarg it onto large pieces of paper. Glue them on poster boards. Write clearly and neatly. Make smaller copies of the same thing in flyer form. Put stacks of flyers at businesses, libraries, the post office, banks and other places where many people visit in the area. Put them in mail boxes for many miles.

5. If your dog has been stolen by a Buncher they are required by the Animal Welfare Act to keep records of all the animals they handle. They are also required to hold the dog for five days before they ship them. All every dealer and hauler who is licensed with the AWA and go see the dogs they have. You can't trust them to look for your dog if you call so you have to see the dogs. You may have to get the police to go with you. You can get the list of dealers and haulers from the AWA at 310.436.7833. Of course this does not apply to people who steal dogs to sell to the fighting world or to resell. This only applies to resale to laboratories. Consider hiring an off duty police officer to go with you to the facilities.

6. Leave your fence gate open in case your dog comes home on his own he can get into his yard and won't be as likely to leave again.

7. Post the information to every dog related newsgroup on the Internet. There are many search groups on the Internet. One of the most recognized is SherlockBones.com.

8. Ask your mailcarrier if s/he would take around flyers to the homes they deliver mail to. Talk to the UPS, Fed Ex, RPS drivers. They drive the neighborhoods and can keep a watch out for your dog.

9. Don't give up. Some dogs are found months or years later.

Unfortunately this is not a safe world for dogs. Our dogs are members our families. We have to protect them.

MarygraceNYC

Despicable. Low life sleazy motherfuckers who do these classless, heartless acts that only go to show what they think of life and themselves. Burns me up.

Give me a shot gun with lots of ammunition and a room full of the breeders. owners and patrons who frequent these fights and I would make them all sorry. Very sorry.

The things they do to these dogs is beyond horrible. I have a friend that rescues abused Pits, and the stories make me sick. There should be 5 year mandatory jail time and lots of fines.

If they are betting, is that not tax evasion?? The Feds should take a stand and form a task force for illegal gambling with dogs and chickens.

Motherfuckers should all die of cancer slowly!!

JRod5417

Mithras- I never leave my dog unattended outside. I once saw a guy come out of a store looking for his dog who was no longer attached to the place he left him. Very disturbing. If you can't go to an establishment with your dog on leash or in hand, better to leave him at home or with someone you know just to be safe.

Reality Czech

The Bronx is filled with lowlifes. It begins with the Yankees. They should level that whole borough with the people still in it and turn it into a parking lot for cars when congestion pricing begins.

zodak

i'm not a fan of dogs or pets in general but that picture makes me feel sorry for the poor dog. & it makes me really angry at these people who think it's cool to watch dogs fight each other. it's just sick.

Rocknrope

#12, people are kidnapping dogs? Do they send a picture of the dog holding today's newspaper? That's just nuts.

Nick S

@ mithras the prophet

never heard of that happening, but i do have a friend that had a dog stolen by one of those people who steal a dog, then when lost dog signs go up, they extort the owners.

bad bad stuff.

notary public

What an awful human being. The picture of that dog is just so sad. And what can they do for these animals once they rescue them? Since they are bred to fight, there is nothing other than putting them to sleep for everyone's protection. How very sad. I just can't help but think this individual that is doing this is very sadistic. This crime should be considered murder.

bxbrian

That guy should be executed.

Sounds like he's barely a human being anyway.

SP

"i wonder if you can throw the owners in there to fight to the death for our amusement."

we already have that, its called football. no small wonder that a football player was fighting dogs. we live in a culture that celebrates violence. its ok to show people beating the crap out of each other or shooting guns at each other, but any display of sexual behavior is a moral outrage. thats just how it is here. if you dont like violence, then you are un-american. this is pretty sad isnt it? i'm seriously considering moving to france, where sex and food are celebrated instead of money and violence.

tien

armchair warrior - i would pay to see that.

Kojak

That dog needs a scooby snack

RatherBeBiking

Disgusting.

coon, disgusting also.

mithras the prophet

I always hear rumors (and impassioned admonitions from passersby whenever I tie up my dog outside of a shop) about criminal organizations that steal dogs from the street for use in dogfighting rings, maybe as "bait" dogs.

Does anyone know whether there's any basis to this? It sounds plausible, but I haven't run across reliable information one way or another.