http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dl...389/1026/NEWS10

Pit bull used as bait to incite killer instinct in younger dogs
By CAREN HALBFINGER
THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original publication: August 3, 2007)

MOUNT VERNON - Floyd, a half-blind, older pit bull, is recovering from more than 30 gashes, wounds and bites inflicted on him earlier this week when he was used as bait to incite the killer instinct in younger dogs.

Mayor Ernest Davis plans to announce today that he will offer a $500 award for information that leads to an arrest of anyone involved in the dogfight that left Floyd lying in his own blood in the middle of a city street Tuesday. The informant will be assigned a code number to ensure anonymity, Davis said, and all calls to 914-941-7797 will be kept confidential.

"I believe how you treat animals is ultimately how you treat other people," Davis said. "We cannot, as a society, tolerate that kind of behavior. It's just bestial. I think it's disgusting."

Davis said there is evidence that pit bull fights happen in the city "more than just occasionally."

Floyd was likely used as bait to train younger, more aggressive dogs to fight to the death, said Paula Young, executive director at the city's animal shelter.

"He had lost, I would say, 60 percent of his blood volume," she said. "Floyd is gentle and very sweet. If he's as sweet as I think he is, we'll put him up for adoption."

Davis said the shelter gets many pit bulls and no one wants to adopt them because of their aggressive reputation. But the dogs are taught to fight, he said, noting that he played with sweet pit bulls as a child, before they got a bad name. The breed is a mix of American Staffordshire terrier, boxer and bulldog, Young said.

Dr. Robert Jiao, the city's veterinarian, said Floyd's wounds, which covered his forelegs and body, were consistent with those of a dog that loses a dog fight.

Reach Caren Halbfinger at chalbfin*AT*lohud*DOT*com or 914-694-5004.

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