Owner Cruel to the Bone
Many people end up at www.UnchainYourDog.org because they are looking for information on dog
fighting. We agree with hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons that Cruel's Not
Cool (listen
to Simmons.)
Please, have a heart and treat other living and feeling creatures the way
you want to be treated: with respect and kindness. Dogs are social animals
by nature. In the wild, dogs don't fight just for fun. Dogfighting is cruel,
unnatural, and wrong.
Dog fighting is a felony, so report it to the police! To learn more about
dog fighting and how to stop it, visit our
Dogfighting page,
Humane Society of the United States,
Last Chance for
Animals, or Pit Bulls on the
Web
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www.nydailynews.com
February 22, 2002, LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK -- Pit bulls that were reportedly kept in filthy conditions gather around a bowl of food. Geofreda Rivera was charged with animal fighting, aggravated cruelty to animals and torturing animals.
A Freeport man allegedly chained a pit bull on such a tight leash that the dog was strangled when she no longer had the strength to stand, animal protection officers said.
The man also is accused of dangling one of the dog's pups as bait in front of his fighting pit bull, which may have caused the puppy to lose sight in one eye, the officers said.
Geofreda Rivera, 21, of 74 Park Ave., was arraigned yesterday in First District Court in Hempstead on charges of animal fighting, aggravated cruelty to animals and torturing animals.
Rivera had kept more than a dozen pit bulls in filthy conditions, tied up or caged at the side of his house, authorities said. Five of his puppies died before they could be rescued.
"We had been receiving complaints about inhumane treatment from Roosevelt Elementary School, which is located next door," said Marc Jurnove of the International Society for Protection of Exotic Animals and Livestock, Inc.
Jurnove, who had been observing the dogs since October, said he was unable to find compelling evidence for a cruelty case against Rivera until a tip from the school on Friday led him to witness Rivera's alleged use of a 4-month-old pit bull as bait.
"It does not seem like this was the first time the baiting occurred, because the dog [puppy] was already blind in one eye," he said.
It took eight officers to subdue the 9-month-old fighting dog, which was found attached to 70 pounds of weights.
Previously, the puppy's mother was attached to a short leash and could not comfortably sit or lie down, Jurnove explained. She became so exhausted that she strangled herself on the chain, he said.
Five remaining puppies, one adult pit bull and a fighting dog were discovered last week by Jurnove and Nassau County police. The dogs were covered in feces and lapping water through backyard drains, Nassau Police Detective Lt. Andrew Fal said.
The dogs were taken to the Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter, where Jurnove said the puppies and adult pit bull will be put up for adoption, but added that the fighting dog will probably be euthanized.
