FLORENCE – Judge Mike Jones, has agreed to hold a hearing to determine the fate of 13 pit bulls rescued last week from squalid conditions in Lauderdale County.
Jones was asked by District Attorney, Chris Connolly to determine the state of the dogs; whether diseased, injured or lack their usual purpose as a result of the environment they once lived in. If it is found they are unable to be rehabilitated, authorities will be asked to humanly euthanize the animals.
The 13 dogs were confiscated from a residence on Lauderdale 41.Two men have been charged with criminal possession of fighting dogs. Quinton Butler, 31, of Florence is charged with 11 counts of criminal possession of fighting dogs and Dereus Qualls, 35, of Sheffield is charged with two counts of criminal possession of fighting dogs. The dogs have been under the care of a veterinarian and separated from one another. Now the decision as to what to do with the dogs is the next step.
The Connolly’s office filed a motion in the Circuit Court to rehabilitate the dogs and place them in foster homes. Tuesday, Judge Jones set the hearing for July 8.
After the pit bulls were rescued, they were taken to a Georgia rescue shelter by agents of the Atlanta Humane Society. A security firm, Norred and Associates, works closely with the Atlanta Humane Society, and are experts in rehabilitating fighting dogs. It is believed by the Norred group that the dogs can be rehabilitated. However, due to the ownership issue of the animals, they are unable to begin the rehabilitation process, and they are unable to send them to foster homes. That is where Judge Jones comes in.
See the previous story of the rescue of the 13 dogs HERE
1 comment
Do EVERYONE a favor and put the dogs down. The only good Pit Bull is a dead Pit Bull. You place one of these vicious animals with some unsuspecting family your asking for someone, their family member or neighbor to be severely injured or worse when the animal attacks, and it most likely will at some point. Pit Bulls are NOT family pets. Even the CDC agrees that Pit Bulls are dangerous.The only people who defend the breed are people who own Pit Bulls. Read what the CDC study has to say about Pit Bulls below;
In September, 2000 a meta-analysis conducted by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was published which examined dog bite related fatalities (human death caused by dog bite injuries) over a 20 year period from 1979-1998. The study examined 238 fatalities in which the breed was known. The study was surmised to covered approximately 72% of known dog bite related fatalities during that period. Over a 20 year period, “pit bull-type dogs” were involved with more dog bite related fatalities than any other breed.[7]
“Despite these limitations and concerns, the data indicate that Rottweilers and pit bull-type dogs accounted for 67% of human DBRF (dog bite related fatality) in the United States between 1997 and 1998. It is extremely unlikely that they accounted for anywhere near 60% of dogs in the United States during that same period and, thus, there appears to be a breed-specific problem with fatalities.”
—Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Breeds of dogs involved in fatal human attacks in the United States between 1979 and 1998