Vicious-dog report leads to pit bulls in training

Cops discover seven pit bulls and marijuana in backyard

By Kelly Wilkinson

Last week, a neighbor's concerns about a dog on the loose revealed seven pit bulls allegedly being trained for fighting, along with cockfighting implements and marijuana plants growing in the backyard of a sunnyvale home.

Chuck Eaneff, public information officer for the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety, said a neighbor spotted a pit bull roaming through the streets and called the department's animal control unit.

Eaneff says Michelle Morgan, responded to the call and spotted the animal loose on Duane Avenue. The dog returned home of its own accord. Eaneff says Morgan spotted marijuana plants in the backyard as she shut the gate behind the animal.

Morgan informed Sunnyvale's narcotics unit, who returned to the house last Tuesday with a search warrant. They recovered 19 marijuana plants, four adult pit bulls, three puppies, cockfighting implements and a treadmill allegedly used for training the dogs.

Police records show that Louis Silva was arrested for dogfighting, cultivating marijuana, possession of marijuana for sale, and child endangerment; Marie Silva was arrested for cultivation of marijuana and child endangerment. Eaneff said the animals were taken into custody by Public Safety officers and the children were taken to a shelter because of the conditions of the house.

"[The dogs] were being used for pit-bull fighting," Eaneff said. "Pit bulls are often associated with gang activity, and cockfighting has been going on a long time with [the fights] done in secret."

Eaneff said uncovering dogfighting rings or trainers is usually difficult because of the secrecy that surrounds the sport (dogfighting is a felony), so arrests are usually made in conjunction with other crimes.

"We're always looking for these kinds of crimes," Eaneff said. "But the [arrests] most often happen in the course of narcotics investigation or related to some kind of gang investigations."

Last Thursday, another vicious-dog call resulted in a drug arrest when 52 marijuana plants were found growing in the dog owner's backyard. And earlier this month, a report of noisy animals resulted in arrests made for drugs and guns in a resident's house that also contained evidence that dogs were being trained to fight. Eaneff would not specify what any of the training "implements" were in the cases, because they are being used as evidence.

Marcia Mayeda, director of animal services for the Humane Society of Santa Clara County, agreed that other criminal activity usually goes hand in hand with dogfighting.

"You're not going to be involved in the PTA and participate in dog-fighting on the side," she said.

Dogfighting and cockfighting have long been problems in the area, Mayeda said, pointing to a steady stream of fighting cocks and dogs in the Humane Society's care.

"Any day of the year you can come in here and find a dog with scars on it or with its ears chomped off," she said. "By themselves, we can't use [the injuries] as evidence of fighting, but it's pretty obvious what has happened."

In cockfighting, a rooster's wattles and combs are usually removed and owners attach metal spurs or special knives to the birds' feet. The animals usually fight to the death in orchestrated fights. The sport is popular in certain Asian and Hispanic countries. Mayeda said a rise in the number of immigrants from those countries has translated into a rise in the sport in the United States.

"This would be just like [Americans] going to play tennis in another country, except that [cockfighting] is illegal here," she said.

Dogfighting is usually more secretive and tricky to uncover, Mayeda said.

She said the dogs are often trained on treadmills or with something called a "cat mill," which is similar to a merry-go-round, in which a cat or another small animal is dangled in front of the pit bull as bait as the animal continually runs in circles. She said that to increase the dog's confidence, owners usually match a pit bull against smaller dogs that are often stolen and then killed as part of the training.

Since Sunnyvale has its own animal control unit, Mayeda said, any calls the Humane Society receives about dog-fighting or other concerns are forwarded to Sunnyvale's own animal control unit. The unit is comprised of two officers and a supervisor.

Once an animal is rescued, Eaneff said, it is taken to a hearing to establish its disposition. "Sometimes they are released back to their owners, and sometimes they are given back with conditions, or sometimes they are put down," Eaneff said. "We certainly don't want dogs out there that are trained to injure or kill."

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