OSPCA destroys two pit bulls seized from alleged dogfighting ring
Organization says dogs were among a dozen animals seized in Lanark, Ont., last May
An animal protection group says two dogs seized last year from an alleged dogfighting ring in eastern Ontario have been destroyed due to continued dangerous behaviour.
The Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says the dogs were among a dozen animals seized in Lanark, Ont., last May, during a joint investigation with the provincial police.
Connie Mallory, chief inspector with the OSPCA, says the other 10 dogs will continue to be rehabilitated by the OSPCA and other qualified organizations.
Once that process is complete, the society will find them new homes outside Ontario, where pit bulls are banned.
The OSPCA says Eric Fleming, of Lanark, is charged under the Criminal Code with encouraging, aiding and assisting with the fighting or baiting of animals, and is awaiting trial.
Fleming has already pleaded guilty to one count of owning a prohibited animal and one count of failure to sterilize an animal under the Dog Owners' Liability Act. He's been sentenced to two years probation and is banned from owning animals for two years.
The OSPCA says the two pit bulls were euthanized last week, shortly after an Ontario court granted the society ownership of the animals.