ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, June 22, 1996 TAG: 9606240056
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: STAFFORD
SOURCE: Associated Press
FOURTEEN PIT BULL TERRIERS were shot in the head, and 11 of them had been piled up and set of fire. Police don't believe the dogs were killed by their owner.
A wooded site where 14 dead dogs were found this week was apparently a training ground for illegal dog fighting, police said Friday.
The dogs, which police believe were pit bull terriers, were discovered Monday by two boys metal detecting in Stafford County.
The dogs had been shot in the head, and 11 of them had been piled up and set on fire. Police think the dogs were killed last weekend.
Police found 24 dog houses at the site equipped with automatic dog feeders and watering devices. Residents in the remote area told police the dogs had been there for about two years and that people had tended to them regularly.
Capt. Charles Jett of the Stafford Sheriff's Office said that and other evidence led police to believe that the animals were being bred and trained for organized dog fighting.
The property belonged to the estate of a Galax man who died about a year ago, said Lt. Rodney Davis of the Sheriff's Office. It was not clear who was housing the dogs, he said.
``We do have some leads,'' Davis said. ``It's going to take some time for us to piece all of these things together.''
Police said it is unlikely that the person who killed the dogs is the same person who was housing them. They suspect that the dogs were killed in some sort of retaliation against their owner.
Promoting dog fighting is a felony with a maximum penalty of five years in prison. William Tinsley, Stafford's animal warden, said he did not know of any organized dog fighting in the county, but there have been rumors of it from time to time.
Law enforcement officials in nearby counties said they could recall no dog fighting cases in recent years.
Tinsley said that in such cases, dogs fight, often to the death, after spectators bet on which animal will win. The losing animal is often killed because it is so badly mangled, he said.
Owners train the dogs by allowing them to kill weaker animals, such as cats or smaller dogs.
``It's not hard to get certain types of dogs to become killers,'' Tinsley said. ``It's in their nature.''
An area of the woods that had been cleared may have been used for dog fighting contests, Davis said.
The dogs were apparently shot with a small handgun while they were on chains. The carcasses were dragged into a ravine, doused with gasoline and set afire.
Police found two vehicles at the site that had been reported stolen from Prince George's County, Md.
Stafford animal control officials buried the dogs at the site.
LENGTH: Medium: 59 linesby CNB