Dog fight info session to be held at Wonder Bar
Officials share how to spot dog-fighting in neighborhood
After an apparent dog fighting ring was discovered in the city, many residents were concerned about similar operations within Asbury Park.
A group of residents has organized an information session where they will tell attendees how to spot the warning signs of a possible dog fighting ring right in their neighborhood.
“People in Asbury Park are horrified by the dog-fighting that went on a couple weeks ago,” said Amy Quinn. “We don’t know how to stop it other than to educate.”
Quinn is helping to organize the session, which is set for Wednesday, Dec. 19, at 7 p.m. at the Wonder Bar on Ocean Avenue.
Quinn volunteers at the Tinton Falls Humane Society several days a week, often working with dogs that have been involved in fighting rings.
“I see what happens to the dogs that come in,” she said. The Humane Society often receives pit bulls that were used in various capacities in dog fighting rings, and has a hard time finding new homes for those dogs.
Many in Asbury Park have adopted pit bulls and cared for them, Quinn said. “I think we’re a community of people who appreciate a challenge, so we like helping what would otherwise not be an easily adoptable dog,” she added.
After arrests were made in the dog fighting case, Quinn drove by the house where the dogs were allegedly discovered. She was surprised to see the yard where the dogs were kept was on the side of the house and not covered at all.
“It was really out in the open,” she said.
This led her to realize that people need to learn when they should call the police about possible dog fighting. Some warning signs include dogs tied up with chains, or covered with weights to build muscles, she said.
There will also be information on possible legislation to toughen animal cruelty laws, Quinn said.
Along with a group of residents, Quinn has worked with Asbury Park Police Chief Mark Kinmon and Victor “Buddy” Amato, chief of police for the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals [SPCA], as well as Wonder Bar owner Debbie DeLisa. Amato will attend the session to give information, as will several other experts in dog fighting and animal cruelty prevention.
