SEVEN illegal pit bull type fighting dogs have been destroyed after a raid on a house in Gloucester.

Officers seized the dogs after searching a house in St Aldwyn Street on Wednesday morning.

A 45-year-old Gloucester man was arrested under the Dangerous Dogs Act.

He received a formal caution, and the dogs, which included a number of puppies, were put to sleep after being identified as an illegal breed.

Sergeant Mark Duncton, of Gloucestershire Constabulary dog section, said: “We had good intelligence that we would find prohibited dogs at the address and that’s what happened.

“Owning, possessing and breeding of prohibited dogs is illegal and constitutes a risk to public safety. I hope this operation shows that we will take action to implement enforcement measures if required, and keep our communities safe.”

Pit bull terriers are among four breeds banned in the UK under the Dangerous Dogs Act.

The others are the Japanese tosa, the dogo Argentino and the fila Braziliero.

These types of dogs are often bred illegally to take part in underground dog fighting contests.

This involves specifically conditioning the dogs who are placed in a pit and made to fight until one is too seriously injured to continue.

There has also been an increase in reports of less organised, spontaneous street fights in urban areas.

Deborah Lake, fundraising and education manager at the Gloucestershire Animal Welfare Association said the problem was more widespread than people thought.

She said: “It is actually surprising how little people realise it’s going on.

“We get quite a few pit bulls coming into the animal centre which obviously we are unable to re-home.”

Deborah said that while it is sad the dogs have to be destroyed it is the only way to deal with the issue.

She said: “It is far better that they are put to sleep humanely than killed in a ring.

“The police are taking an increasing interest in this and it is good to see that they are tackling it.”

Councillor Usman Bhaimia (Lib Dem, Barton and Tredworth) said it was worrying to think that the breeding of illegal dogs could be going on in a residential area.

He said: “The biggest worry is that this is happening in a built up area where there are a lot of families and small kids who could be at risk.”

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In a season when so much attention is given to the all-consuming, pre-dawn shopping rush to find discount deals on everything from TVs to toasters, the patient folks at Hinsdale Humane Society have spent the last couple of months diligently shopping for the ideal home for a little stray dog known as Rusty.

They found it.

Rusty soon will be moving to Dogtown, an exclusive gated community of 427 dogs living in small group homes on the 3,800-acre Best Friends Animal Society sanctuary surrounded by national parks and nestled in what might be the most stunningly scenic canyon in Utah.

“I want to live there,” quips Rusty-supporter Harry Peters, president of the Forest Glen Homeowners Association, one of the Oak Brook communities Rusty frequented during his reign as the suburbs’ most elusive stray.

While homeowners and village businesses left out gourmet food for Rusty, tried to coax him in from the cold, and saw the 4-year-old Chow-Sheltie mix frolic with their dogs, Rusty eluded traps, police officers and animal control experts for three years. In September, Rusty walked through an open gate in a backyard and allowed himself to be captured. He was suffering from heartworms, a parasite that would have killed him without treatment.

The Hinsdale Humane Society welcomed Rusty, and with the help of a trust fund fed by neighbors who had grown to love the unlikely rascal, is treating his heartworms. But finding Rusty a home has proved difficult.

“We have worked to ‘socialize’ him to humans, but this has proved problematic as he is not oriented toward humans in any way and is not motivated by dog treats or other tasty food,” reads the latest Rusty update from Lori Halligan, executive director of the Hinsdale Humane Society, and longtime operations manager Jennifer Vlazny.

Rusty is never vicious; he just prefers the company of other dogs, Vlazny says. So she says she “poured my heart out” in a letter to the Best Friends Animal Society, which runs the not-for-profit no-kill animal sanctuary near Kanab, Utah, and accepts less than 1 percent of the roughly 2,000 applications received each month.

When the sanctuary, which treats and houses animals from around the globe, accepted Rusty, Vlazny admits to getting a little teary-eyed.

“He’s got so many followers and so many people caring for him. He’s a very lucky little dog,” Vlazny says.

“Rusty couldn’t have had better friends,” says Barbara Williams, media relations manager for the sanctuary, which houses a total of 1,700 dogs, cats, horses, potbellied pigs, parrots, rabbits and a few wild animals.

“It’s a beautiful, beautiful place. The scenery is amazing,” says Tamara Dormer, 52, one of five full-time dog trainers among the nearly 450 staff members at the sanctuary.

Will Rusty understand how good he will have it?

“It’s not like he’s going to come and go, ‘Woo-hoo! This is awesome!’ But he should pick up from the other dogs that he is in a safe place,” Dormer says. “Occasionally, I see dogs sitting on a hillside looking, and I think, ‘Oh, wow, look at them enjoy those flowers,’ but I have no idea if that’s true. I don’t know if they appreciate the scenery, but they do appreciate that we have a lot of rabbits.”

The shy Rusty will be matched with more outgoing dogs in a heated octagon that houses up to five dogs and includes private dog runs, specialized training and full medical care. Rusty could spend the rest of his life here, but “our goal is to get him a home,” says Dormer, explaining how Rusty could eventually be placed in a home anywhere, maybe even back in Oak Brook. “I saw his video on Facebook. Once his shyness improves, he’s going to fly out of here.”

Sometime in the next few weeks, Vlazny and Rusty will drive to Utah.

“I want to be the one that hands over the leash and sends him on the next journey of his life,” Vlazny says.

Peters (who set up the trust fund with his wife, RonnDa) says he hopes to visit Rusty in Dogtown, a four-hour drive from Las Vegas. He says they’ll continue to support animals through hinsdalehumanesociety.org, but also will make contributions to bestfriends.org because of Rusty.

“We’re happy about it for him, but we’re a little sad that he’ll be so far away,” Peters says. “But like your children, you always want what’s best for them.”

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Information from: Daily Herald, http://www.dailyherald.com

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In partnership with the American Kennel Club (AKC) and Cat Fanciers Association (CFA), the second annual Meet the Breeds at the Javits Center in New York was once again a big hit with visitors and cat and dog lovers from as far away as Washington State and Texas.  But area Pembroke Welsh Corgi owners and fans got a special treat:  their booth won the award for not only Best Herding Breed Booth but also Best Booth in Show.

The booth not only featured area Pembroke breeders with their cute dogs, but inside the “castle walls” the Queen of England (who owns a number of Pembroke Welsh Corgis herself) made an “appearance”; Pembroke breeder Bobbe Lord put hours of time into the royal costume and, if one didn’t know for sure, it might be challenging to tell if it was the real Queen or not.

Area Pembroke Welsh Corgi breeders put plenty of thought and planning into their booth, and the dogs did the rest.  Debbie Harper from Pound Ridge was there on Saturday with one of her dogs who loves the event (Pems are real kid magnets and love people) — and on Sunday Mary Carroll (who co-bred several litters with Debbie Harper) brought one of her dogs.  There were enough Pembrokes on hand to ensure that none of the dogs got too tired from all the attention, and gave each owner time to chat with everyone who wanted to learn more about the breed.

The Javits Center was packed door to door with cats, dogs, pet vendors, demonstrations by Port Chester Obedience Training Club, cat agility trainer Jill Archibald, and other fun and informative events.  Visitors could get see more than 200 different cat and dog breeds, shop for presents for their animal friends, and learn how to groom, train, and take good care of their pets.  Dogs who won the ACE award for outstanding canine contributions to human welfare were also featured.

If you missed the event this year, you can see pictures online at Meet the Breeds web site — but better yet, plan to be there next year so you don’t miss all the fun..

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