From dog abuse to cockfighting to horse neglect, the conversation of a couple dozen people at a meeting Thursday at The Humane Society of San Bernardino Valley in San Bernardino focused on changes to animal-cruelty laws and the prosecution of recent incidents of abuse.
"People get outraged," Deputy District Attorney Debbie Ploghaus said about animal abuse. "People get very outraged because the animals can't defend themselves."
What people don't often see is that animal abuse often extends into domestic abuse and can escalate into other violent behavior, say prosecutors. More than 85percent of women in shelters say animal abuse occurred in their home, Ploghaus said.
District Attorney Michael A. Ramos, whose office is spearheading the San Bernardino County Illegal Animal Fighting and Abuse Task Force, has talked about how dog-fighting and cockfighting rings bring crime into communities.
Guns, drugs, gangs and prostitution are often found at locations where animal fighting takes place, according to prosecutors. Children also sometimes attend the events, they say.
"Our goal is to inform the public that this goes on. It's not in a Third World country. It's in their own backyard," said Claudia Swing, chief of the district attorney's Bureau of Administration.
People who see animal abuse can pick up the phone and call authorities, Swing said. The Humane Society of the United States also accepts calls at 877-TIP-HSUS (847-4787).
Among recent cases, Fontana police busted a cockfighting ring at a commercial trucking company on Sunday, seized more than 200 roosters and arrested three men. On Wednesday, a man was arrested in Rancho Cucamonga after he allegedly dragged a bleeding and unconscious Rottweiler behind a bicycle.
Educating children about abuse also is a crucial component of the task force, according to prosecutors.
Deputy District Attorney Cary Epstein, a veteran gang prosecutor, said he is considering adding an animal-abuse component to his Gang Resistance Intervention Partnership, or GRIP, program for schoolchildren.
GRIP has a presence in the Rialto Unified and High Desert school districts. Chino school officials are interested in the program.
"We're also looking into expanding into other areas," Epstein said.
The task force recently formed its mission statement and meets monthly with representatives from city and county agencies, including code enforcement, animal control, probation, the District Attorney's Office, as well as the Humane Society.
Reach Mike via email, call him at 909-386-3880, or find him on Twitter at @sbcourts.
