Chris Boyd's five year old Miniature Pinscher acted tough, but was no match
for an aggressive pit bull at least four times his size. "Taz" was mauled
by the neighbor dog Wednesday afternoon. A veterinarian had to put him
down.

"We're all just heartbroken about it," Boyd said Thursday. "But there are a
lot of kids on this block. It could have been one of them instead of my
dog."

Neighbors called police to report the pit bull wandering the neighborhood
around 1:00 Wednesday. When authorities arrived, the dog lead them back to
1536 N. Piatt. At the vacant home investigators found five more pit bulls
believed to be part of a vicious dog fighting ring.

"In my 27 years, I've never seen anything like it," said Dennis Graves,
Animal Control Supervisor for the city.

In the home, authorities discovered two treadmills they believe were used to
improve the dogs' stamina. They discovered syringes and rawhide, even a
sledgehammer they say may have been used to kill under performing fighter
dogs. Blood was splattered on some of the interior walls.

The six pit bulls removed from the house are now at the city's animal
shelter. Several have visible scars and open wounds. One limps on a
potentially broken leg. On their cages reads a sign: "Aggressive Animal."

By themselves, they almost appear timid. But authorities say they're
trained to kill when placed with other animals. Somebody made the dogs
intentionally dangerous.

"This is cruelty at its worst," said Environmental Services director Kay
Johnson. "They were pitting dog against dog."

If found, the owners of the dogs could face animal cruelty charges.
Authorities say the home was rented, but nobody lived inside.

The city says pit bulls are the number one offenders when it comes to dog
bites and attacks on other pets and people.

In the first three months of 2008, pit bulls accounted for 22% of all dog
complaints, and 35% of all euthanized dogs at the city shelter.

Specifically, investigators looked into 95 dog bites from January to March
this year. Pit bulls were responsible for almost 25% of those bites. Of
the 15 dogs deemed "dangerous" so far this year, 10 have been pit bulls.

Johnson says owners can have a big influence on a dog's behavior, but that
pit bulls are naturally aggressive.

The city will not adopt any pit bull out to the general public because of
that aggressive disposition, and because it's possible the dog will end up
right back in the system. Because the owners of these six pit bulls could
face criminal charges, it's unlikely they will come forward to claim the
dogs. Officials say that leaves them with very little choice but to
euthanize the animals once the courts grant custody to animal control.

Anybody with any information in this or any other organized dog fighting
ring is urged to call police.