The DogChannel Newswire (11-18-08)

Aurora Pit Bull Ban Heads to Court
Florence Vianzon Sasek hopes she can take Isis outside for a walk through her Aurora neighborhood again without strapping a pink leather muzzle over the dog’s mouth. Isis, a 5-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier mix, can’t ride in the car without being enclosed in a locked crate and is not allowed to roam her backyard without supervision. Vianzon Sasek’s lawsuit challenging the city of Aurora’s pit bull ban headed to trial Monday in U.S. District Court in Denver, the Denver Post reports.
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Search On For 47 Suspects in Texas Dogfight Ring
Details emerging from the investigation into one of the largest dogfighting rings in the country indicate an elaborate underground web involving dozens of people, including some from Latin America. Authorities already have seized 187 animals from Harris, Montgomery, and Tyler counties connected to the operation. As many as 100 people attended the fights, placing bets as high as $1,000 for a single match, the Houston Chronicle reports.
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Wheels Keep Drug Dog on the Move
A police dog in Somerset who had to retire because of arthritic hips can walk again thanks to a special chariot. Max, a former police drug dog, could barely get about and there were fears that he would have to be put down, BBC News (U.K.) reports.
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N.J. Prisons Use Dogs to Sniff Out Cell Phones
New Jersey prison officials are trying a new approach to detect illegal cell phones among inmates: cell phone-sniffing dogs, The Associated Press reports.
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Three Charged, Dozens Arrested in Chicago Dogfight
Three men face felony charges after police interrupted a dogfight on Chicago’s South Side. Officers swept the basement of a house on Saturday and found dozens of people betting on the dogfight. The crowd included teenagers, The Associated Press reports.
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