A Bronx jury has convicted two men involved in a dog fighting ring, and animal rights groups couldn't be happier. Alexander Estephane and Juan Toledo were busted in 2008, when a police raid turned up 16 fighting dogs and 2 roosters in a cramped basement in the borough. Now they have both been found guilty of felony charges and face up to four years behind bars, according to the Daily News; their sentencing is later this month.
The paper described the scene police came upon in 2008, saying the room had "blood-splattered carpets, hypodermic needles to inject the dogs with drugs and a small plywood ring where gamblers would crowd over the anxious animals." Currently spectators only face the equivalent of a parking ticket, and many believe that animal fighting laws in New York are the weakest in the nation.
Patrick Kwan of the Humane Society of the United States tells us, "Until New York passes currently pending animal fighting bills in Albany to strengthen our current laws, we will remain a destination for animal fighters from other states with stronger anti-animal fighting laws." He added that, "Hundreds of New Yorkers from all over the state will be attending the 2010 New York State Humane Lobby Day on March 24th to urge our state legislators to take action to crack down on animal fighters, puppy mill operators, and factory farms. Chartered buses will be leaving from New York City to Albany."
