150 suspected fighting dogs seized

TUCSON, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- An investigation that began last year when Chicago police pulled over a vanload of fighting dogs led to a series of raids Tuesday in Tucson, Ariz.

Pima County sheriff's deputies seized 150 dogs and arrested three people, the Arizona Daily Star reported. One suspect, Mahlon Patrick, is believed to be a major breeder of dogs for fighting.

Other items found by the deputies included 50 weapons and a "rape stand" used to secure female dogs for breeding.

Chicago police and the Human Society of the United States provided information that assisted the Tucson investigation. Jay Sabatucci, a Humane Society expert on dogfighting, accompanied the deputies.

Sabatucci said most of the animals found Tuesday were in good condition except for injuries apparently sustained during fights.

"This is their money, so they are well cared for here," he said. "The cruelty is in the fighting, not in how they are kept."

One exception was a small neutered male found in a cage. Investigators said the metal covering the cage appeared to have been hit by BB pellets fired at the dog.