L.A. County's new dogfighting tip line is unveiled

Earlier this week, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office and the Humane Society of the United States announced plans for a novel new approach to combating animal cruelty in L.A. County: A 24-hour tip line, manned by both English and Spanish speakers, for citizens to report incidents of dogfighting.  

The tip line was officially unveiled at a press conference Tuesday at the office of L.A. County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley.  Those with information about a dogfighting ring, an upcoming dogfight or an individual who is involved in dogfighting are urged to call 1-877-NO2FITE; those reporting information that leads to an arrest or conviction will be rewarded with up to $5,000.  (Cooley noted that anyone reporting a dogfight in progress should call 911 rather than the tip line.)

"Our goal is to encourage citizens to help law enforcement root out a brutal crime that often goes unreported and occurs in the shadows," Cooley said during Tuesday's press conference.  Also present Tuesday was the Humane Society's senior state director for California, Jennifer Fearing, who called Cooley "a true champion for animals." 

Public outcry follows ASPCA decision to euthanize Oreo, 'miracle' dog who survived six-story fall

Over the summer, animal lovers were outraged over a shocking incident of animal cruelty: A man threw his 1-year-old female pit bull, Oreo, from the roof of the six-story Brooklyn, N.Y., building where he lived.

Fabian Henderson, 19, was charged with aggravated cruelty to animals, criminal trespassing and "overdriving, torturing and injuring animals," charges that could result in a sentence of up to two years in prison, according to the Brooklyn district attorney's office; he pleaded guilty to a felony animal-cruelty charge in October and will be sentenced Dec. 1. 

Officials of the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals told the New York Daily News that they'd first received a complaint that an animal was being beaten on the third floor of the building, where Henderson shares an apartment with family members, and shortly thereafter heard from witnesses who reported seeing Oreo thrown from the roof. (For her part, Henderson's mother told the Daily News that she believed her son was not guilty and that he was "basically a quiet person, good with animals.")

Oreo became something of a celebrity and recovered from the physical injuries that resulted from the fall, which included "multiple fractures in her two front legs, severe ligament damage, bruised lungs, a fractured rib, liver injury and internal bleeding," according to the indictment against Henderson. 

24-hour dogfighting tip line to be unveiled by L.A. County prosecutors

The Los Angeles County district attorney's office and the Humane Society of the United States are collaborating to offer a 24-hour tip line -- and a substantial financial incentive for calling it -- to help L.A. County residents report incidents of dogfighting, our colleagues at the L.A. Now blog report.

The tip line will be officially announced at a press conference Tuesday at the office of L.A. County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley. 

According to L.A. Now, the tip line will be staffed by both English and Spanish speakers, and those who provide information leading to an arrest or conviction will receive a reward of up to $5,000. 

Last month, Pennsylvania authorities unveiled a similar cash-for-tips program that offers up to $5,000 in reward money for information about dogfights, as well as other illegal animal-combat activities like cockfighting. The Humane Society was also involved in the creation of the Pennsylvania program.

Because of the shadowy nature of the dogfighting world, no one knows just how many dogs are made to fight or used as so-called bait dogs, but the Humane Society estimates that more than 250,000 dogs are forced to participate in the blood sport each year in the U.S. alone.  

RELATED:
Main Line Animal Rescue takes its pro-pit bull, anti-Michael Vick message to San Diego
Michael Vick speaks out about dogfighting (sort of) at Washington church

-- Lindsay Barnett

Photo: Pit bull puppies rescued as a result of a massive multistate raid on dogfighting operations in July.  Credit: Jeff Roberson / Associated Press

Dog lovers cry foul over comments from Jay Leno and Chris Rock about Michael Vick

Talk show host Jay Leno's interview with comedian Chris Rock last month caused many animal-loving viewers' jaws to drop. Did they really just say that? they wondered.

The answer is sure to displease animal advocates who've expressed outrage about the actions of NFL star and convicted dogfighter Michael Vick: Yes, they really did say that.

During the interview, the two comics' chatter turned to the controversial arrest of filmmaker Roman Polanski in late September.  Rock expressed shock that members of the Hollywood community stepped up to defend Polanski, who fled the U.S. more than 30 years ago after being accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl. 

Sounds reasonable so far.  But that's when Leno steered the conversation in an unexpected direction, using Vick's case as a contrast to Polanski's: "It's amazing to me -- you mistreat a dog, and you lose your career, and you go to jail for two years."  Rock's response added insult to injury for dog lovers: "Yeah, look at Michael Vick! What the hell did Michael Vick do, man? A dog? A pit bull ain't even a real dog."

Main Line Animal Rescue takes its pro-pit bull, anti-Michael Vick message to San Diego

Pennsylvania-based group Main Line Animal Rescue, which famously opened Oprah Winfrey's eyes to the problem of puppy mills, has more recently turned its attention to the plight of pit bulls and the NFL career of Michael Vick.  Back in September, Main Line decided to try a new tactic to help animals and started taking out newspaper ads in cities where Vick and his new team, the Philadelphia Eagles, were scheduled to play. 

The ads, the first of which ran in the Washington Post to coincide with an Eagles-Redskins game, urge animal lovers to "Consider volunteering at your local shelter on the day of the game. Spend some time walking, or brushing, or bathing, or hugging a homeless Pit Bull."  But beyond the call to volunteerism, they also feature a pledge from Main Line: For each time Vick is sacked in the upcoming game, the group offers a donation of five bags of kibble to an area shelter.  

The Washington Post ad produced results far greater than Main Line envisioned; dog food donations poured in and, when all was said and done, the donated-kibble tally was measured not in bags but in tons.  (In all, four tons were donated to the Washington, D.C., Humane Society.)

This weekend, Vick and the Eagles come to Southern California to play the San Diego Chargers; naturally, Main Line is at it again.  The ad above ran in the San Diego Union-Tribune today, and the group plans to donate dog food to a San Diego-based shelter at a later date.

RELATED:
Berkeley Breathed's new book was inspired by one of Michael Vick's pit bulls
Pit bull group says Vick won't see his former dogs when Eagles visit Oakland

-- Lindsay Barnett

Pennsylvania rescue group makes good on its Michael Vick offer, donates 4 tons of food to Washington, D.C. shelter

We told you last month that the Pennsylvania-based group Main Line Animal Rescue, best known for using a Chicago billboard to convince Oprah Winfrey to air an exposé about the cruelties dogs endure in puppy mills, is trying a new tactic in its battle on behalf of dogs. 

Furious over the Philadelphia Eagles' signing of convicted dogfighter Michael Vick, Main Line opted not for a billboard but for dog food: It offered to donate five bags of kibble to feed needy dogs in a Washington, D.C., shelter for each time Vick was sacked in the Eagles' game against the Washington Redskins.

Turns out, the plan worked out even better than expected -- and that's an understatement.  Dog-food donations poured in from sources including a Pennsylvania pet store and even celebrity chef Rachael Ray, who offered up a supply of her own brand of dog food, Nutrish.  Earlier this week, Main Line made good on its offer when volunteers delivered a whopping four tons of dog food to the Washington, D.C., Humane Society.  (According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the humane society plans to share the bounty with other area rescue groups.)

"Considering how little Vick's being played, we couldn't wait for him to be tackled," Main Line's founder, Bill Smith, told the Inquirer. "So we thought we'd just go for it." Go for it they did -- and a lot of homeless Washington-area pets stand to benefit. That's a lot more than we can say for most other stories involving Michael Vick!

RELATED:
Berkeley Breathed's new book was inspired by one of Michael Vick's pit bulls
Pit bull group says Vick won't see his former dogs when Eagles visit Oakland

-- Lindsay Barnett

Photo: Main Line Animal Rescue

Two of 85 dogs ousted from South Carolina Marine bases for aggressiveness

Most of the pit bulls, Rottweilers and canine-wolf mixes assessed at Marine bases in South Carolina this week get to keep their Marine dog tags.

Of 85 dogs from the three breeds checked by experts from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, only two were found to be so aggressive as to pose a danger to Marines and their families. Those two will have to leave base housing. Two others showed aggressive tendencies but one will work with a trainer and another will be neutered.

The Marines have banned the aggressive breeds, because their "dominant traits of aggression present an unreasonable risk to the health and safety of personnel."

Last year, a 3-year-old boy was fatally bitten by a pit bull at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. Owners who can show thorough assessments that their pets present no danger to humans or other pets may get waivers and keep them on bases through 2012.

The pets at the Parris Island Marine Recruit Depot, the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort and the Beaufort Naval Hospital were assessed by experts from the ASPCA during three days of tests this week.

Pennsylvania authorities try a new tactic to stop dogfighting: Cash for tips

Call it the Michael Vick reward.

Amid a steep rise in dogfighting complaints this year, Pennsylvania authorities are offering up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in dogfighting.

The reward was announced yesterday in Philadelphia by the state attorney general's office and the Humane Society of the United States. It also applies to other animal combat, such as cockfighting.

The Pennsylvania SPCA has reported receiving more than 400 complaints about dogfighting in the first six months of this year. That's up from 245 complaints during all of 2008.

Dogfighting gained renewed attention in Philadelphia after the Eagles signed Vick, who had served prison time for his role in a dogfighting ring in Virginia.

The reward is funded through a grant from the Holland M. Ware Charitable Foundation.

-- Associated Press

Photo: One of the dogs seized July 8 in eastern Missouri as part of the largest-ever coordinated raid on dogfighting rings in U.S. history.  Credit: Associated Press

Michael Vick speaks out about dogfighting (sort of) at Washington church

Speaking at a Baptist church in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, quarterback Michael Vick admitted that he returned to his Newport News, Va., home every week to indulge his dogfighting hobby while he was making millions playing for the Atlanta Falcons.  "For what reason, I don't know to this day," he told the assembled crowd. "Something so pointless."

But for all his harsh words about the blood sport (if you can call it a sport) of dogfighting, Vick didn't make much mention of the dogs themselves -- though the Associated Press notes that he referred to himself as "an animal rights advocate."  Vick was in Washington alongside Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, the group with which the football star has partnered on its anti-dogfighting campaign.

"I used poor judgment," he told the crowd about his participation in and financing of the Bad Newz Kennels dogfighting ring. "I had people around me who didn't have my best interests at heart."  

Of course, Tuesday's speech wasn't the first time he made only passing references to the dogs he tortured while operating Bad Newz.  Rather than speaking directly about the animals he hurt, the football star seems to be opting for broad statements about the importance of making good choices and associating with upright citizens.  "Who knows what could have happened at 3 in the morning when you're fighting dogs?" he asked his audience in Washington. "It's almost like being involved in the streets, dealing drugs, in criminal life."  (Almost like being involved in criminal life?  Really?  Seems a lot like being involved in criminal life to us.)

Pet rescue group offers to donate dog food to shelters in exchange for tackles of Michael Vick

Pennsylvania-based Main Line Animal Rescue, known for its canny use of advertising on behalf of pets, is at it again -- and this time it's taking aim at Michael Vick.

Main Line is best known for a billboard stationed along Chicago's Kennedy Expressway that read: "Oprah: Do a show on puppy mills. The dogs need you."  Winfrey took the group's suggestion and aired an exposé that has been credited with opening many Americans' eyes to the conditions in which many dogs are kept in order to supply the nation's pet stores with adorable merchandise. Earlier this year, the group brought its message to Los Angeles, unveiling a billboard decrying puppy mill conditions and urging Angelenos to adopt shelter pets.

Now Main Line has a new idea -- one that doesn't involve billboards, but instead targets newspapers in cities where Vick and his new NFL team, the Philadelphia Eagles, will play. The group's plan: Buy ad space in a city's newspaper shortly before the Eagles are to visit.

The ads (one of which has already run in the Washington Post) urge animal lovers to "Consider volunteering at your local shelter on the day of the game. Spend some time walking, or brushing, or bathing, or hugging a homeless Pit Bull." Future ads are scheduled to appear in San Diego, Chicago and New York.