Concerns are rising among Ozone Park resident that a dog fighting ring is operating in the neighborhood. Three dead pit bulls have been found dumped in a garbage bag on the streets in the past six months.
Around 9 p.m. on Saturday, January 9 the third deceased dog was found near Acacia Cemetery by the intersection of 84th Street and 107th Avenue. The dog was wrapped in a trash bag and mostly frozen. Another was dumped at Pitkin Avenue and 84th Street a few weeks ago.
The woman who found the dog, who only wants to be identified as Tina R., said this was the third time since August a dead dog has been found within a five-block radius of that area of Ozone Park.
“This is what they do after a dog is done fighting or has lost a fight or was unwilling to fight,” said Tina R. “I was just driv- ing home and there [the dog] was and I was so sick after that.”
She said the most recent dog did not appear to be a victim of a fight. There was no evidence of bite or scratch marks, but she did notice the dog appeared to be unhealthy and under- weight.
Phyllis Taiano, founder of Four Paws Sake, Inc, went to the scene where the dog was found to help out and try to inden- tify the dog using a microchip scanner.
After an unsuccessful attempt to identify the animal, Taiano said she called 911 and 311 and was rebuffed by both agencies. After one final call to an emergency clinic, Taiano took the dog to the Sanitation Department.
“This situation was an awakening for me to see what exactly one is up against here in NYC,” Ta- iano said. “Had (the dog) been mutilated, mauled, had missing limbs, a crushed head or multiple bite wounds I would have driven him to the ASPCA [American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals] for investigation reasons.”
Taiano estimates the dog was between 3 to 5-years-old and could see patches of hair missing which she says might be from mange or alopecia, two skin diseases common in household pets that cause hair loss.
“I don’t know how in the world someone can toss their pet on the side of the road in a garbage bag,” Taiano said. “The bag was not even tied. What if a child had seen the dog in a street? People are getting away with this because they can and the system is failing.”
Taiano is offering a $500 reward for any information on dogs being dumped in the street and can be contacted at phyltaiano@aol.com. Concerned residents can also contact the ASPCA's Humane Law Enforcement department at enforcement@aspca.org or (212) 876-7700, ext. 4450.
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