Dead dogs being dumped on the side of the road. It’s happening in Whitehaven on East Levi Road near Sedgwick. It’s believed the dogs are connected to dog fighting rings operating in the area. Local I-Team senior investigator went digging for answers about what is happening.
The area has been a problem for dumping for years. People regularly dump items there, but since April 1st, nearby resident says the dumping of dead dogs has become a real problem. Our cameras caught the remains of one dead dog after another on this secluded street.
“Someone needs to take care of this road, figure out why people have been dumping these dogs, and figure out who’s abusing these dogs,” said Mallory McGaughny, who lives nearby.
Since spring, McGaughy says she has been keeping an eye on the road, taking pictures of the dead dogs and calling Memphis Police with what she found.
“The police, they told me all they could do is call dead animal pickup. They couldn’t do anything because dogs are still property and they can’t do anything.”
“Pet owners don’t dump their beloved pets on the side of the road in the middle of no where, in garbage bags for scavengers to eat,” said Cindy Sanders, an animal activist. “This is obviously a dumping site used for dog fighting or bait dogs, and dumping dogs after they have been killed in a dog fight.”
Sanders went to the site to see the problem for herself. Sanders says this is a problem that extends beyond Whitehaven. “We need a dog fighting task force set up set up in Memphis. It can work right alongside the gang force task force.”
Sanders says Memphis once had an Animal Cruelty Task Force under former Police Director Larry Godwin, but it was dropped under the Wharton Administration. A spokesperson for The City of Memphis says they went to the site Friday to clean it up.
