Suspected Fighting Dog Abandoned in Ojai

An aging pit bull believed to have sustained injuries in an organized dogfight was found Monday morning chained to a fire hydrant near an Ojai animal shelter.

Officials of the Humane Society of Ventura County are looking for the dog’s owner and anyone who might have witnessed the animal being left about a block north of the society’s office.

Tim Dewar, the society’s public relations director, said his organization is well aware of problems with dogs being used for fighting and gambling.

“We do know that there is fighting going on in the [Ojai] Valley, and we are looking into that very heavily,” he said.

Humane Society employees, who had received several calls about the dog being left on Bryant Street, arrived about 8 a.m. and found the dog severely injured and bleeding.

The injuries, many of which were fresh and badly infected, are characteristic of an organized dogfight, Dewar said. The dog had a bleeding, untreated abscess over its left eye, a raked back and hindquarters, and cuts on its genitalia.

The dog, which society workers are calling Sparky until it is identified, was ravenous and aggressive when found, Dewar said, adding that fighting dogs are often kept lean and hungry to make them more aggressive.

The Humane Society sent the dog to the county animal shelter in Camarillo for medical treatment and notified the Sheriff’s Department.

Sheriff’s Deputy James Adams said he did not think all of the dog’s injuries were inflicted by an animal.

“My guess is he lost a fight and the owner got mad and decided to punish him severely,” Adams said. The pit bull had no identification on its collar or on a 6-foot chain used to tie it to the hydrant. County animal regulation workers will scan the dog for the presence of a computer chip that is often embedded in pets for identification.

Humane Society senior officer Jeff Hoffman said Sparky “looks like 10 miles of bad road.”

“On a 1-[to]-10 scale [of animal abuse], this is a 10,” Hoffman said. He added that he suspected whoever dropped the dog off Monday morning intended to leave him anonymously on the Humane Society’s doorstep, but was deterred after seeing Hoffman’s car parked outside the building. Hoffman agreed that Sparky was probably injured in an organized fight, but he said catching those involved in dogfighting is difficult.

“The problem is they change the dates and locations and the times so often that nobody has a handle on it,” he said.

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Dogfighting for sport, which is a felony in California, carries a penalty of up to three years in prison and a $50,000 fine, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Tom Connors. Cockfighting, which is more common, is a misdemeanor, with a six-month jail sentence and a $1,000 fine.

Since Jan. 1, Connors said, the district attorney’s office has handled one dogfighting case--in El Rio in May--and four cases related to cockfighting.

The Humane Society intends to offer a reward for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the person responsible for the dog’s injuries. Those who would like to contribute to the reward fund or to the society’s fund for the care of neglected animals can contact the Humane Society, 402 Bryant St., Ojai, 93023 or call 646-6505.

If Sparky recovers from his injuries, his prospects for a future beyond the animal shelter is grim.

“I doubt very seriously that he would be adopted to just anyone, because of his history,” Dewar said.

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Times staff writer Tracy Wilson contributed to this story. Ritsch is a Times Community News reporter.