A whole article on dog fighting suppositions.

[Jays toyz]

https://trib.al/H1ss291

No wonder people believe this crap on Facebook. It's a self fulfilling prophecy...

"it was obvious from his scars he was part of a dog fighting ring"? This and more amateur sleuthing follows.
Sad thing is this badly researched opinion piece gets more clicks than a better article about housing.

[traderal]

And what proof do you have that there are no dog fighting rings other than your opinion?.

[chris762]

I read somewhere in the past couple of days, that there are two women driving around BC and Alberta stealing dogs. Possibly for dog fighting, as it was mentioned in the article. One never knows.....

[bobtodrick]

Originally Posted by Jays toyz

https://trib.al/H1ss291

No wonder people believe this crap on Facebook. It's a self fulfilling prophecy...

"it was obvious from his scars he was part of a dog fighting ring"? This and more amateur sleuthing follows.
Sad thing is this badly researched opinion piece gets more clicks than a better article about housing.

At some point most serious crimes that are solved start out with a suspicion of wrong doing that needs to be proved.
By your reasoning you find a dead body in an alley and your response would be it's just someones opinion they were murdered so lets not investigate it?

[Norwest Alta]

We've had dogs go missing from around the area. Can't prove what they were taken for or where they ended up. One thing is for certain the kids from the reserve say the strangest things. I think dog fighting rings are a reality.

[Zip]

Originally Posted by Norwest Alta

We've had dogs go missing from around the area. Can't prove what they were taken for or where they ended up. One thing is for certain the kids from the reserve say the strangest things. I think dog fighting rings are a reality.

I would have to agree with this... just because we don’t see it does not mean it is non existent, that is a very bad world to play in..
Zip

[MrDave]

Originally Posted by chris762

I read somewhere in the past couple of days, that there are two women driving around BC and Alberta stealing dogs. Possibly for dog fighting, as it was mentioned in the article. One never knows.....

I wish people would stop believing FB rumours. The mother is on strict conditions, and is stalked in Olds, and the daughter is stalked in Innisfail. The daughter goes for a walk, people follow and post pictures. She gets picked up on the highway by her mother and there are pictures on FB in an hour.
They go for lunch at Bower Mall, pics posted. Then the next week that picture is claimed to be in Crossiron mall.

The Boogie Woman of western Canada might get your mutt... Only once have they been associated with attempted dog napping, the rest they adopted freely off kijiji, some kind of resale for profit scheme.

[Norwest Alta]

Originally Posted by Zip

I would have to agree with this... just because we don’t see it does not mean it is non existent, that is a very bad world to play in..
Zip

Absolutely. Seems there is no shortage of cruel savage people in the world.

[Jays toyz]

The entire article was the opinion of a worker at an animal shelter! It's a sad fact of human nature that it is easier to convince ourselves that the dog was stolen for some nefarious purpose than someone leaving a gate open or the dog going after a squirrel and jumps a fence it normally would not have. In 10 years of rumors I have never heard of anyone actually seeing an organized dog fight. **** in GP a few years ago people nearly lynched a dude after pics on Facebook of him stopped on the highway watering a truck full of stolen dogs. It was clear from the photo it was a dog team but that he had 10 dogs that didn't look like huskies meant he stole them all. Suppositions does not a story make.

[MrDave]

Originally Posted by Jays toyz

https://trib.al/H1ss291

No wonder people believe this crap on Facebook. It's a self fulfilling prophecy...

"it was obvious from his scars he was part of a dog fighting ring"? This and more amateur sleuthing follows.
Sad thing is this badly researched opinion piece gets more clicks than a better article about housing.

The last time this rumour went around Central Alberta it was investigated by RCMP and the SPCA. It was debunked then, and was caused by a lowlife person with a shelter. That person was taking in free dogs and reselling them for profit, just like the Adams.
With the huge number of coyotes and cougars around I suspect they are more likely the culprit's. We had several dogs go missing at the river by Innisfail, then we found cougar tracks in the fresh snow there, so that mystery was kind of solved.

As for the scarred dogs, I notice the absence of any details of actual evidence in the article. Speculation only. We may have one around, but to think those 2 women are selling lapdogs to a fighting ring is funny as can be.

[Muller]

There is an incredible dumbing down of society that the social networks just amplify.
Follow the money people.
Animal welfare society needs money....... “hey, let’s make up a need for donations “.
“We can tell people that there are scary dog fighters stealing dogs, that will get to bleeding hearts sending us money”.

I have a male Airedale with more cosh on his face and head than that little dog.
Is he a fighting dog?
No, he lives with a little female that puts it to him every time he tries to sniff her butt.
At some point that dog got in a spat with another dog and they decided to use it to their advantage.
Donate, donate..... how many dog fighting rings have been busted in Alberta in the last 100 years?

Get out the house, go to the range, clear your heads...... think.

[Rastus]

I was "NOT" to get into this discussion but feel that I should. When I got her, she was 1 1/2 years old and had been in a dog fighting kennel for all of those years, 1 1/2 years, they put with their champion as a bait dog. The idea of a bait dog, and that is what they are, is to work up the champion to a dog fighting level. She killed the champion in less then 6 seconds, so then they would put her in with their champion and they got nailed and I ended up with her. Loved humans and kids but was death on other dogs, a habit I never was able to break her of. That was her LAST fight, the one with the champion. She did me a lot of good in the 12 years that I had her, but there was a couple of scary monemets. She is gone now and I hope that I did her good. To round out this discussion, I believe there is dog fighting kennels and I "WILL" report you if I find out who you are. I do not believe that on this forum there is any such thing. I have said my piece.

[Jays toyz]

Originally Posted by MrDave

The last time this rumour went around Central Alberta it was investigated by RCMP and the SPCA. It was debunked then, and was caused by a lowlife person with a shelter. That person was taking in free dogs and reselling them for profit, just like the Adams.
With the huge number of coyotes and cougars around I suspect they are more likely the culprit's. We had several dogs go missing at the river by Innisfail, then we found cougar tracks in the fresh snow there, so that mystery was kind of solved.

As for the scarred dogs, I notice the absence of any details of actual evidence in the article. Speculation only. We may have one around, but to think those 2 women are selling lapdogs to a fighting ring is funny as can be.

Is that the Addams angle? I believed they seek out dogs but didn't understand the upside for them. Get em free and resell em. Facebook 101... I have made the mistake of giving things away on Facebook before. Yikes.

[buckbrush]

Who cares if there is no solid proof? I'd rather the authorities look into it and find nothing than just assume it is hearsay. Problem is, I don't think our police have jurisdiction in the places where these fights could be happening.

I have done work with Saving Grace and one thing I can tell you is Erin is not just looking for attention. That girl will literally jump into her truck and drive all night just to rescue one dog. She lives for animals. I've seen first had some of the animals she has rescued and even the volume. Puppies with broken backs, dogs with feet cut off, spray painted, skin and bones, dogs that are terrified of humans. I know of cases where she has rescued over 100 dogs from a reservation in a single trip. Of coarse no one can ever be held accountable for the things that happen to dogs on a res. If they were it would probably come back around as being our fault anyhow.

Sorry for the rant. I've got a soft spot for pups.

[Jays toyz]

Originally Posted by bobtodrick

At some point most serious crimes that are solved start out with a suspicion of wrong doing that needs to be proved.
By your reasoning you find a dead body in an alley and your response would be it's just someones opinion they were murdered so lets not investigate it?

What? No! My analogy goes more like this, if I see a guy with a scar on his face I will not assume he is a career knife fighter and phone the law. Maybe he fell?

[Norwest Alta]

Originally Posted by Jays toyz

The entire article was the opinion of a worker at an animal shelter! It's a sad fact of human nature that it is easier to convince ourselves that the dog was stolen for some nefarious purpose than someone leaving a gate open or the dog going after a squirrel and jumps a fence it normally would not have. In 10 years of rumors I have never heard of anyone actually seeing an organized dog fight. **** in GP a few years ago people nearly lynched a dude after pics on Facebook of him stopped on the highway watering a truck full of stolen dogs. It was clear from the photo it was a dog team but that he had 10 dogs that didn't look like huskies meant he stole them all. Suppositions does not a story make.

Sure not everyone with dogs in their trucks are not dog theives. I think they are fairly rare. Some dogs leave and never come back.
I don't think the kids at the school are lying when they slipped up talking about the dog fights. 10 years of rumours and never heard of anyone seeing a organized fight? I don't suppose you would unless you're part of the group. It would be a sad day if I had to witness such a thing.

[traderal]

Any illegal activity that happens in other parts of the world is probably happening here in sunny Alberta too. Maybe jaystoyz you could give the basement keyboard a rest and volunteer some of your precious time with animal rescue to see what happens in the real world.

[Trochu]

"....there was just no denying it, her wounds appeared to have been from a dog fighting ring."

My favorite quote from the article. No denying the appearance, can't say they were or weren't, but no denying the appearance.

Do kennel fighting wounds look that much different from a dog/fox/coyote/bobcat/lynx/cougar fight to a typical person? Maybe it's an issue in Alberta, probably happening somewhere, but this article seems more of an opinion piece than actual journalism.

[jstubbs]

So lets review the basic points of the article: There has been an uptick in stolen dogs. Some say they’ve rescued dogs before that they are certain belonged to fighting rings, but have no definitive proof. RCMP and SPCA have no ongoing investigations in the matter.

That is literally it. They could be claiming dogs are being abducted by UFOs and have the same amount of proof to back it up.

I have no issue believing that dogs may be stolen for fighting ring purposes, but this is just sensationlist journalism that plays off people’s emotions for clicks. How about Global does some actual investigative reporting to dig much deeper into the issue? Has there been a history of dog fighting rings in Alberta? Has anyone been charged previously in connection to an animal fighting ring? Or at the very minimum, even an anonymous source who may claim to have been involved in one in the past that they could interview?

Again, I have no problem with the topic of the article, dog fighting is absolutely sinister and those involved should face serious repercussions, but the lazy journalism presented here bothers me. Nothing but stirring people up over some what-if.

[Oldan Grumpi]

Considering that there is at least one documented case of coyote carcasses being used for ginger beef in an Edmonton restaurant...and that dogs are generally heavier, healthier, and easier to catch....it might be prudent to avoid certain ‘all you can eat’ buffets for a while.

You might develop a weird urge to hoist your leg on fire hydrants.

[buckbrush]

If I were to come across a fighting breed dog covered in wounds who also had it's ears cropped and was spray painted blue. On a reservation that is rumored to be involved in dog fighting ring. I'd probably come to my own unfounded conclusions.

Whether its happening or not, these animals are being abused beyond belief. I have a problem with that.

I do agree with this "journalist" being a joke. What happened to finding facts and doing research.

[Norwest Alta]

Originally Posted by buckbrush

If I were to come across a fighting breed dog covered in wounds who also had it's ears cropped and was spray painted blue. On a reservation that is rumored to be involved in dog fighting ring. I'd probably come to my own unfounded conclusions.

Whether its happening or not, these animals are being abused beyond belief. I have a problem with that.

I do agree with this "journalist" being a joke. What happened to finding facts and doing research.

What I was told is that they’re not taking fighting breed dogs. They’ll take the run of the mill family golden retriever and use them for bait dogs. I asked what is a bait dog and it was explained to me that they’re more or less practice dogs to give the fighting dog the killer instinct. A very sad state of affairs imo and the people involved should be knocked on the head with a 8lb sledge hammer.

[Redfrog]

It definitely does go on. In another life I worked at the humane society and SPCA as an inspector.

We did find two operations that were engaged in dog fighting while I worked there. The focus of these organizations is animal welfare and education. Enforcement and prosecution are farther down the list.

The law and politics have changed since I worked that field. Back in the day if we found an animal in distress or being seriously mistreated we simply impounded the animal and it got the medical attention it needed.

The owners were seldom charged with anything. Laying the charge is one thing, proving it in court is a whole other thing. With the courts as busy as they are most crowns won't take the case, and the perp ends up with a fine. In the years I worked there we got one case to court and were successful. A guy had set fire to a beagle. The dog lived and the guy got a fine and a suspended sentence.

The dog at the fighting operations were seized but no charges ever laid . Ownership could not be established. We found the dogs but no actual fight going on at the time.

Dogs do get stolen and sold. Fighting does happen. If there's a buck to made some will make it. I even had guys come in to the shelter trying to buy cats to train their hounds for cougar etc. It's tipoff when a guy wants to get a "a cat for my wife" and he picks the old scarred nasty stray that has been living downtown alleys all it's life.

[EZM]

Originally Posted by jstubbs

So lets review the basic points of the article: There has been an uptick in stolen dogs. Some say they’ve rescued dogs before that they are certain belonged to fighting rings, but have no definitive proof. RCMP and SPCA have no ongoing investigations in the matter.

That is literally it. They could be claiming dogs are being abducted by UFOs and have the same amount of proof to back it up.

I have no issue believing that dogs may be stolen for fighting ring purposes, but this is just sensationlist journalism that plays off people’s emotions for clicks. How about Global does some actual investigative reporting to dig much deeper into the issue? Has there been a history of dog fighting rings in Alberta? Has anyone been charged previously in connection to an animal fighting ring? Or at the very minimum, even an anonymous source who may claim to have been involved in one in the past that they could interview?

Again, I have no problem with the topic of the article, dog fighting is absolutely sinister and those involved should face serious repercussions, but the lazy journalism presented here bothers me. Nothing but stirring people up over some what-if.

100% agree

Poor journalist and lots of leading statements designed to paint a sensational picture. I see very little factual reporting on actual cases here.

Having said that, I'm sure there are some truly sick people who get off on forcing animals to fight for their lives in a cruel circus these things must be and it makes me angry to think we don't arrest these clowns and lock them up in a cage and make them fight each other to the death.

[Grizzly Adams]

Originally Posted by EZM

100% agree

Poor journalist and lots of leading statements designed to paint a sensational picture. I see very little factual reporting on actual cases here.

Having said that, I'm sure there are some truly sick people who get off on forcing animals to fight for their lives in a cruel circus these things must be and it makes me angry to think we don't arrest these clowns and lock them up in a cage and make them fight each other to the death.

Agree, I"m skeptical. if it was happening on any scale at all, we'd be hearing about it, be tough to cover up. If it really is happening, a likely location would be First Nations reserves. Can I say that ?

Grizz

[Norwest Alta]

Originally Posted by Grizzly Adams

Agree, I"m skeptical. if it was happening on any scale at all, we'd be hearing about it, be tough to cover up. If it really is happening, a likely location would be First Nations reserves. Can I say that ?

Grizz

Of course can, you just did or was that supposed to be inside voice? I have trouble suppressing the inside voice to.

[Jays toyz]

I don't doubt there are sick people who like to watch their manhood I mean dog kill another dog. I am extremely doubtful that an organized dog fighting ring exists in Alberta. It's the "ring" part of the article and peoples Facebook suppositions that drive me crazy.

[Sneeze]

Big money in selling Rufus.

Steal a drill the guy at the pawn shop has 30 already and he gives you 20 bucks for crack.

Steal a cute puppy and the female in the province one over will give you $600.

There may be dog fighting going on, but it's not organized. Have you guys ever met and dealt with lowlifes? These people have trouble putting one foot in front of the other let alone operate a co-ordinated illegal gambling/dog fighting ring. The first one that got caught with his pants down at the park would sing like a canary.