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Dog Fighting Ring Suspected After 'Bait Dog' Found

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Local animal control officials made a disturbing find that shows dog fighting is happening in the metro area.

A 2 to 3-year-old pit bull was left in the animal control parking lot on Monday. Because of his injures, officers think he was used as bait to train another animal for a dog fight.

"This actually looks a lot better than when he first came in," said Jena Clem, an animal control officer.

At Minneapolis Animal Care and Control, there is a pit bull whose facial injuries tell the story of extreme cruelty.

"When he first came in this was swelled and hanging down," said Clem, while pointing to the dog's jaw.

Injures cover the front half of his body from head to the bottom of paw. They are telltale marks which give officers an idea of how he was hurt.

"So what we're thinking happened is another dog came over top and shook," said Clem.

Animal control officials believe the pit bull survived a dog fight. He may have even been used to train another dog.

"I think this dog was definitely the loser in this match," said Tom Doty of Minneapolis Animal Care and Control.

"He was very patient with us when we were treating his wounds and cleaning him up a little bit," said Clem.

Dog fighting is a world the injured animal likely never experienced before, a friendly demeanor gives that away.

"In this case it's probably someone's dog they love very much and wondering what happened to it," said Doty.

He's proof that dog fighting exists in the metro area. Animal control gets cases like this about three times a month.

"It's upsetting. We, unfortunately, see enough of it where it doesn't phase us anymore," said Doty.

Often times, animal control doesn't hear about these cases until it's too late. This dog just happened to be a lucky one.

"He's safe now," said Clem.

MACC hopes the dog's owners recognize their pet and bring him home. Doty said it's rare for someone's pet to be taken from their yard, but it does happen. This summer, a woman reported to police an attempted dog snatching in Minneapolis.

There's no way to move forward with any criminal charges as of now, but the U.S. Humane Society does offer a $5,000 dollar reward for anyone who has information leading to a conviction for dog fighting.

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