Four Dogs Killed In Hayti, MO Dog Fighting Ring

(Hayti, MO) Karol Wilcox with the Caruthersville Humane Society showed News Channel 3 a pit bull “killing field” where a total of nine dogs were dumped over the weekend. Only five survived.

“It’s real overgrown in spots. And you could smell them right away. I mean you knew there were dead animals on the property.”

Seven pit bulls were found in a vacant lot on Saturday. Three were already dead and Wilcox says one was found hanging on a fence, “And he was twisted into a chain so that it was so tight around his neck that he couldn’t move or breathe and he suffocated. It actually choked him.”

Four dogs were rescued, but two were stolen over the weekend. And the carnage wasn’t over. Sunday, more grizzly evidence turned up in the same field, “We went back and found one live pit bull and an additional dead animal.”

Karol Wilcox says this is clearly where dogs fought and died.

Dog fighting has become a big problem in Pemiscot County, MO.

“Maybe a crack rock or $50 in the backyard and two dogs hookup. And where we have a problem, we get calls every weekend and we find dogs out in the county that have been injured or fought,” he said.

Erma Page, manager of the Caruthersville Humane Society Shelter, says the abuse is upsetting, “People shouldn’t have dogs if they’re not going to take care of them. That’s just the bottom line.”

The surviving dogs are malnourished, scarred and covered with bite marks caused by other animals.

James Bunch lives next door to the vacant lot.

He’s seen several dogs tied up in the lot but says he didn’t know about the fighting,

“Oh yeah, they bark. That’s why I went out there and watered them. They were barking for water and food.”

Meantime, Humane Society workers are worried about what else lies in the woods off West Lincoln St.

“I just want somebody arrested. That’s what I want.”

The Caruthersville Humane Society and Hayti Police are hoping the public will come forward with the names of who’s responsible for this weekend’s animal abuse.

In Hayti, it’s against the law to have a pit bull and charges for animal abuse range from misdemeanor to felony.