NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (AP) – Two pit bulls found dead over the weekend had injuries consistent with dogfighting, and officials here are investigating what they believe is a dogfighting ring.
The first dog was found Saturday, wrapped inside a plastic bag on West Beach in New Bedford’s South End. The animal had wounds that likely were caused by another dog, said Mary Ellen Barlow, an animal control officer.
“The dog had been dead within a 24-hour span,” she said. “Its facial wounds, the punctures, are all consistent with dogfighting.”
Sunday night, a tour boat operator found a second pit bull floating in the Popes Island Marina. Officials said the dog’s right ear had been torn off and its stomach badly bruised and cut. The animals appeared to have been in the water longer than the one found Saturday. Autopsies will be conducted on both dogs this week to determine the exact causes of death, said Christopher Charbonneau, an officer with the Animal Rescue League of Boston.
The league offered a $1,000 reward for any information about the dogs.
Another pit bull was discovered drowned at Wamsutta Mills earlier this year with a 20-pound dumbbell tied to its leg.
Emmanuel Macial, New Bedford’s animal control officer, told the Standard-Times last week that officials were investigating what he characterized as a low-level dogfighting ring in the city. A modified treadmill that investigators believe was used to train animals for dogfighting was found by officers last year.
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