An advocate for dog fighting victims says there is hope for the 18 pitbulls rescued from an alleged dog fighting ring near Tilbury in 2015.
The OSPCA wanted to put the dogs down because they were too aggressive, but Dog Tales, a dog rescue and sanctuary north of Toronto, managed to save 18 of the 21. Dog Tales sent the dogs to get rehabilitated and trained at the Dogs Playing For Life sanctuary near Jacksonville, Florida.
Heather Gutshall is a certified dog trainer and founded Handsome Dan's Rescue in Rhode Island, which helps with the placement and care of dogs in shelters, rescues, and other facilities. Gutshall is the owner of Handsome Dan, one of 22 dogs that were rescued from the estate of NFL quarterback Michael Vick after he was arrested and charged with engaging in dog fighting.
Gutshall says she prefers to not use the word "rehabilitate," because every dog adjusts differently.
"Frequently what these dogs just need is to habituate to life in the community [and] life as a pet. A lot of them will do just that. Others will need more rigid behavior modification plans or medical assistance and care," says Gutshall.
She compares survivors of dog fighting rings to feral dogs and says they require about the same amount of work.
"The majority are able to be placed in the community as completely safe, happy pets. Does this mean they're going to require more work? Yes, but how we see it, is that the work comes less from because they're dog fighting survivors and more because they've just never been pets," explains Gutshall.
Gutshall says if the people responsible for these dog fighting rings received the same treatment from another species, they would never forgive them.
"I think they're people who maybe weren't taught compassion from an early age and definitely people with mental health issues, maybe not being quite able to empathize the way that we would hope other humans can," says Gutshall.
On August 24, Robert Tomlin pleaded guilty to an animal cruelty charge in connection with the alleged dog fighting ring in the Tilbury area. He was sentenced to four months house arrest, but no jail time. Co-accused John Robert and Michael Gagnon are due in court on September 25 to set a trial date.
-With files from Paul Pedro