A crackdown on dogfighting

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Oct 24, 2003 | by Pat Reavy Deseret Morning News

Called a "dirty little secret" that is rarely exposed, Salt Lake's underground scene of dogfighting took a nip by law enforcement with the arrest of a man repeatedly investigated for animal abuse.

Several pit bulls seized by officials Wednesday were underweight, had injuries to their faces -- and likely will be euthanized because they are unfit for other homes.

John Clinton Smith, who turns 72 on Saturday, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of dogfighting, enhanced cruelty to animals and practicing veterinary medicine without a license.

Temma Martin, spokeswoman for Salt Lake County Animal Services, said the world of dogfighting is secretive, with a tight-knit community that stages fights in secret locations. For those reasons, she added, much of it goes on without public knowledge.

Animal control officers are aware of the fighting, she said, because they find strays that are scarred and have purposely had their ears and tails cut off to make them better fighters.

Salt Lake County Animal Services is familiar with Smith, saying he is one of the biggest animal offenders it has had in the past 20 years.

In the latest incident, Salt Lake police detective Kevin Joiner said Smith was arrested at his house near 900 South and 1100 West.

Smith had been under investigation for a while, Joiner said.

"Law enforcement very vigorously pursues these (cases) when we get the evidence to go after them," he said.

Animal control officers took six pit bulls and investigators seized alleged "fighting equipment" from the man's house, including treadmills police believe were used to train the dogs, Joiner said.

In addition, journals, videotapes and dogfighting magazines were taken.

On its Web site, www.hsus.org, the Humane Society of the United States calls dogfighting a " 'contest' in which two dogs -- specifically bred, conditioned and trained to fight -- are placed in a pit," usually a small walled-in area, "to fight each other for the spectators' gambling and entertainment." Another trend is otherwise unorganized street fighting in urban areas. The society says fights average about an hour and end "when one of the dogs is no longer willing or able to continue."

Staging such fights is illegal in every state -- and a felony in 46, the Humane Society reports.

Canines injured in dogfighting often die, even days later, of blood loss, shock, dehydration, exhaustion or infection, the Humane Society says. And sometimes other animals, used as "bait" in training, are killed as well, including smaller dogs, cats and rabbits.

Neighbors said police and animal control officers had been at the Salt Lake house frequently for most of the month.

A neighbor described Smith as "nice" overall, but added, "We don't appreciate what he does to puppies."

Smith owned several pieces of property, mostly vacant lots, where he would keep the dogs, she said. The dogs that were seized by the city were found in an industrial area near 700 South and 2300 West.

In 2000, Smith was charged with 20 counts of various animal neglect charges and, in a case that dragged out to just last year, eventually pleaded guilty to two counts of animal cruelty and to one other misdemeanor, according to court records. He had a 180-day jail sentence suspended.

A cruelty to animals charge was dismissed in 1997. He was also charged with nine counts of cruelty to animals in 1996, all of which were eventually dismissed. Smith was charged in 1995 with 31 counts of having too many dogs and failing to license those dogs. In 1988, a jury found Smith guilty of training dogs for fighting, a third- degree felony. Several thousand dollars in fines were suspended, and Smith was ordered to perform 100 hours of community service.

E-mail: preavy@desnews.com