Pit bull fight bust highlights rising problem

December 27, 2006 - By DAVID SCHECHTER / WFAA-TV

DALLAS - Five dogs confiscated late Tuesday night after police said they were in the midst of a dog fight will soon face being put down, and it is just the tip of what many in the Dallas community have called a rising problem.

A long-time community leader in southern Dallas County and a candidate for city council, Dwaine Caraway says people are now using pit bulls to appear tough and also as status symbols. But he said that can turn deadly.

"Once this type of dog gets a hold to you and the jaws clamp to you, it's just over," he said.

Unfortunately, Caraway said it has become an all too familiar sight.

"We can take a ride around and see pit bulls everywhere," he said.

On a short drive through Caraway's community, stray dogs were seen on nearly every block. Many of the dogs spotted were pit bulls most likely released because they were not tough enough to fight to the death or just too hard to care for.

"I don't ever know what happened to Lassie; but Lassie exists no more," he said.

Stray pit bulls and dog fights are not just a problem in the Southern Sector. Employees at the SPCA of Texas said pit bull treatment is a problem on the rise.

"We have a dog that really is lost in today's society," James Bias, SPCA of Texas.

Stanley Farrar, Jr., the confiscated dog's owner, was charged with cruelty to animals and fighting dogs

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