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Undercover Texas Cops Sting Dog-Fighting Ring

By Harry Kimball, Newser Staff

Posted Aug 12, 2009 6:02 PM CDT

(Newser) – A pair of Houston cops recently put away nearly 100 dog fighters, but to do so they had to become “dogmen” themselves. Texas Monthly recounts the undercover sting and provides a look at the brutal sport. The cops were reluctant at first—“we just figured it was piddly shit, something for the local animal-control officers”—until they learned of handlers shooting up their dogs with cocaine and steroids, and killing dogs who couldn't themselves kill in the ring. "They make Michael Vick look like a pussy," said one informant of the top dogmen.

The men arrested in the sting were well surprised by the revelation. “It never occurred to me, not once, that those boys were cops,” one says. “I taught them how to fight the right way—with dignity and honor, not letting their dogs get chewed up. And I know, deep down, they started loving it as much as I did. I could tell they had the blood for it. But now they get to go free and get all kinds of publicity while I go off to prison.”

[Images (2)]

[Quotes (2)]

Dog fighting in outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan. (AP Photo)

A rescued male pit bull. (AP Photo)

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Animal rights organizations were not angry at all that Manning and Davis had fought dogs: They were thrilled that someone had finally gone after the dogmen. - Skip Hollandsworth, Texas Monthly

They get a real joy out of fighting. They’re born and bred to fight. I’m telling you, keeping one of these dogs from fighting is just as cruel as keeping a retriever inside the house and not letting him fetch. - "White Boy Rob," dogman

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COMMENTS

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Showing 3 of 3 comments

matteo

Aug 13, 2009 9:11 AM CDT

i really dont understand why we cant do the same to them, when you can't obviously classified as a person, one should loose all its civil rights, maybe this would work as a deterrent as prision doesn't...

wwwonderer

Aug 13, 2009 2:58 AM CDT

Will this is what struck me so funny about Vick. He's the ONLY one fighting dogs? No other dog fighting/animal cruelty cases exist? It's a wide-spread culture to fight dogs. For them to make that big a deal about it would imply that they were trying to eliminate dog fighting altogether AND prosecute ALL dog fighting network participants. OK. I'm not condoning dog fighting. It's just that it's more fake moral posturing by many.

Sonny_Crockett

Aug 12, 2009 11:19 AM CDT

Just to let y'all know, All us Houstonians don't cuss like that. Only when shit hits the fan....

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Texas • law enforcement • police • Michael Vick • Houston • animal cruelty • undercover • dog fighting

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