Three badly injured pit bull-type dogs have been discovered in St. Paul since late July, leading one rescue group to fear that a dogfighting ring is at work.
St. Paul police and Animal Control aren't linking the three male dogs to each other or a fighting ring, but a rescuer who lured one of them out of some bushes along Interstate 94 has no doubt about it.
"It's more than coincidental," said Natalie Wicker, director of operations for the Retrievers, a nonprofit that recovers stray and lost dogs. "It's highly unlikely that you would find three dogs in the general area with these types of injuries without it being linked to a fight ring."
The dogs, all unneutered males, were found within a few miles of each other suffering from lacerations to the face, chest and legs. The first one was found on July 27 in the 1900 block of 4th Street E., the second one was found on Aug. 17 at Indian Mounds Regional Park and the last one was recovered by the Retrievers on Aug. 20 at N. Park Drive and Winthrop Street near Battle Creek Regional Park.
None of the dogs had identification tags or microchips.
St. Paul police spokesman Steve Linders said authorities rarely receive reports about dogfighting in St. Paul, but are investigating any possible connection to that activity.
The first two dogs were recovered and examined by St. Paul Animal Control. Supervisor Molly Lunaris said both dogs were pit-bull types and that neither displayed any behavioral problems. The first dog is being cared for by A Rotta Love Plus rescue group, and the second dog is at the Animal Humane Society.
Lunaris said both dogs had lacerations that appeared to be from bites.
