ST. LOUIS, July 8 /PRNewswire/ --

    WHAT:    In connection with what is believed to be the largest dog
             fighting raid in U.S. history, the Humane Society of Missouri,
             working in cooperation with the Missouri State Highway Patrol,
             the United States Department of Agriculture's Office of the
             Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S.
             Marshals Service and the United States Attorney, is coordinating
             the rescue and sheltering of dogs associated with multiple
             suspected organized dog fighting operations. Early this morning,
             officers from multiple federal and state law enforcement agencies
             made arrests and seized dogs in Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Texas
             and Oklahoma. Investigators from the Humane Society of Missouri
             Animal Cruelty Task Force provided the information that led to
             the investigation.

    ANIMAL RESCUE, TRANSPORT AND TRIAGE
             Under contract with the USDA's Office of the Inspector General,
             the Humane Society of Missouri Animal Cruelty Task Force, working
             with partners from the ASPCA and Humane Society of the United
             States, is coordinating the multi-location effort to safely
             remove, transport and shelter the dogs. All pit bulls seized in
             Missouri and Illinois will be taken to a secure facility where
             the Humane Society of Missouri will conduct triage of each
             animal, document any evidence of dog fighting and oversee care
             for and shelter of the animals. All animals will receive a
             complete veterinary examination and necessary on-going veterinary
             care. The dogs will be cared for by the Humane Society of
             Missouri and its partners until final disposition by the United
             States District Court.

"The Humane Society of Missouri is vehemently opposed to this heinous blood sport. The way animals used in dog fighting are abused, at the hands of people for profit, is absolutely abhorrent," said Kathy Warnick, president of the Humane Society of Missouri. "We are grateful to the state and federal agencies for aggressively pursuing this investigation and bringing to justice those who perpetuate the systematic torture of dogs for sport and profit. Dog fighting is happening in every community in our state, right under our noses. Hopefully, public awareness and outrage will bring an end to this cruel and heinous form of animal abuse."

The multi-location rescue and transport operation required the training and experience of professional animal handlers from the various animal welfare organizations in addition to a variety of specialized animal transport vehicles. "Dog fighting is dangerous business - for dogs and for people," says Tim Rickey, director of the Humane Society of Missouri's Animal Cruelty Task Force. "The rescue teams in action today are comprised of seasoned animal handling experts. Together with our ASPCA and HSUS partners, our Animal Cruelty Task Force is the most experienced and best trained and equipped team in the country. We are very gratified with today's rescue; it sends a significant message that this form of animal abuse will no longer be tolerated. We hope it leads to many other such operations to bring an end to dog fighting in the United States."

    ANIMAL SHELTERING AND EVALUATION
             Today's rescue and the resulting sheltering operation are also
             the largest in scope undertaken by the Humane Society of Missouri
             in the organization's history. To keep the animals separate from
             the rest of the shelter population, the dogs are not being housed
             in any of the Humane Society of Missouri permanent locations but
             rather in an off-site temporary facility.

             While they are being cared for, each dog will be evaluated by
             animal behavior experts from the Humane Society of Missouri and
             other organizations to determine their suitability for possible
             placement with rescue groups or individual adopters. The Humane
             Society of Missouri will make recommendations about each animal
             to the U.S. District Court which will make the final decision for
             each animal.

"We are committed to giving dogs who have come from such horrible abuse the absolute best chance for a good life," said Debbie Hill, vice president of Operations for the Humane Society of Missouri and director of the temporary shelter. "It is a tragedy that because of mistreatment by humans for financial gain and so-called sport, many dogs used in animal fighting may not ever be able to be placed in a home situation."

    Report Animal Abuse: 314-647-4400

    Donations:  Humane Society of Missouri Animal Cruelty Fund
                www.hsmo.org/donate
                314-951-1542

SOURCE Humane Society of Missouri

RELATED LINKS
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