Police say several pitbulls and other similar dogs stolen from the Southern Pines Animal Shelter were likely used in illegal dogfights.

"It just really stinks, but it happens," said Virginia Cheatham, director of the Southern Pines Animal Shelter.

Cheatham said several dogs, mainly pitbulls and pitbull "look-alikes," were stolen in the last five weeks.

The most recent break-in occurred June 10, when three dogs were stolen from their cages.

The suspects rolled under an opening in a fence and kicked in dividers inside the shelter's outdoor housing facility.

"They were going through every room to see what they could get," she said. "They even stole laundry detergent."

The break-in was caught on the shelter's security camera system, which had been recently donated to Southern Pines.

"Police officers don't have time to chase a ghost," Cheatham said. "But now we have pictures of them and were able to get the perpetrators caught on DVD camera."

LaShana Sorrell, a public information officer for Hattiesburg Police Department, said three juveniles, ages 10, 13, 14, were arrested and charged with commercial burglary. The dogs were returned to Southern Pines.

The dogs were stolen to be used in dogfights, Capt. D. J. Davis said.  "Some (thieves) will take them to raise them, but with animals like pitbulls, they're usually fighting them," he said.

Davis said that in Mississippi, dogfighting is a felony that can result in up to a five-year sentence for offenders. It's a felony even if you're watching it," he said. "It just all depends, but it's a way to deter people from watching and participating."

Although the new security system helped in the arrest of the suspects, Cheatham said her staff and members of the shelter's board would like to provide better security for the more than 8,000 animals they take in each year. But they have limited funds.  "We're on a tight budget and we don't always have the money needed for capital improvements," said Karen Reidenbach, president of the Southern Pines Animal Shelter Board of Directors.

Reference:

The Commercial Appeal