Chicago police charged two men with animal cruelty Monday after 35 abused dogs, including seven pit bulls that had to be euthanized, were recovered from a Little Village home believed by police to have been a site for training and fighting dogs.
Jose G. Garcia Jr., 33, of the 2500 block of South Homan Avenue, and his father, Jose G. Garcia Sr., 56, of the 6100 block of South California Avenue, were charged with animal cruelty; the son also was charged with dogfighting and possession of heroin and marijuana.
Neighborhood police officers suspected dogfighting at the home of the younger Garcia and obtained a search warrant for the house Sunday. At the home, police found two elderly people living in squalor, a pit bull, seven puppies, narcotics and aquariums with snapping turtles and lizards, the police report said.
A neighbor said the older people were Garcia Jr.’s grandparents.
Police found a garbage-littered kitchen, a bathroom with no door or lights, and dogs asleep in closets, according to reports.
In the basement of the home were what appeared to be a dogfighting ring and feces-covered dogs confined to small cages or chained to walls, police said. A three-foot alligator, books on dog breeding, dog medications and weights and treadmills to train dogs also were found, police said.
The remaining dogs are being held and treated at the Chicago Department of Animal Care and Control. They had bites, open wounds and scarring on their faces and legs, and wounds that had not healed correctly, said Sandra Alfred, deputy director at the center.
Dogfighting has been increasing in popularity among gangs and youths, police said.
“There is a growing awareness that dogfighting and animal abuse are criminal activity that require an aggressive law enforcement response,” said Chicago Police Sgt. Steve Brownstein, supervisor of the Animal Abuse Control Team, a four-member unit created to uncover animal cruelty. “There’s nothing kind about dogfighting. There’s a lot of brutality in training the animals–they’re fed hot peppers and beaten, kept in dirty cages,” Brownstein said. “The fight itself is very bloody and painful to the animal. After fights, sometimes they are not medically treated and die a slow death from injuries.”
Dogfighting is illegal in all 50 states and has been a felony in Illinois for 10 years. It’s also illegal to own, breed or train animals for fighting and those convicted of dogfighting could face 1 to 3 years in prison and a $50,000 fine.
Garcia Jr. is scheduled to appear in Felony Court March 25 and his father in Misdemeanor Court April 11.
