Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
63 Kittens - Possibly Used as Dog Fighting Bait- Found
By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 10, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 10, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
What is wrong with people? The director of the Mount Vernon Animal Shelter found three boxes full of kittens (63 of them!!!) on her doorstep. Paula Young believes that the kittens were used as bait during dogfighting in Westchester and possibly the Bronx. She told the Journal News, "It is impossible for one person to have all these kittens, calicos, tabbies, males and females."
A few days earlier, animal shelter workers found an older pit bull with its hind legs paralyzed and a number of puncture marks. Sean D'Aliose, manager at the Mount Vernon Animal Shelter, explained, "Kittens are dangled in front of the dogs, usually before a fight, to give them a taste of blood." Young thinks that the dog and kittens were abandoned because people were scared of authorities cracking down, in the wake of Michael Vick's indictment on dog fighting charges.
The AP spoke to a few animals rights/advocacy organizations about dog fighting. According to PETA, there are three levels of dog fightings: "Professional" entrepreneurs, amateurs, and street-corner participants. And NYC Animal Care and Control field officer Mike Pastore said organized dog fighting and arrests are rare in the city, "Even in the shelter do we rarely have a dog come through with the pockmarks and other signs of a fighting dog." (See this fact sheet about dog fighting from the Humane Society.) Representative Gary Ackerman has proposed legislation to toughen dog fighting penalties.
Here's video (WNBC, Journal News) and more photos of the kittens. Those interested in adopting the kittens can call Paula Young at 914-522-5945 or Jeannie Johnson at 914-699-PETS.
Tagged
And NYC
Animal Care
animals
bronx
dogs
humane society
journal news
legislation
michael vick
Mike Pastore
mount vernon
news
nyc
people
pets
photos
pit bull
the city
video
wnbc
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
When turning back the clock means going under an NYC sidewalk
Gilo Vintimilla has kept NYC’s only sidewalk clock ticking since the early 2000s.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Published Nov 4, 2026 at 2:30 p.m. ET
Yes, Stevie Wonder is playing MSG. No, you can't afford tickets. See these shows instead.
LCD Soundsystem also uses synthesizers. Ok, maybe not the same thing. But it's still a great month for music in NYC.
By
Hank Shteamer
Arts & Entertainment
Yes, Stevie Wonder is playing MSG. No, you can't afford tickets. See these shows instead.
LCD Soundsystem also uses synthesizers. Ok, maybe not the same thing. But it's still a great month for music in NYC.
By
Hank Shteamer
'The Muppets Take Manhattan' in Queens and more November films in NYC
By
Emma Stefansky
Why LCD Soundsystem's 'New York, I Love You' is still the city's most honest anthem
By
Sonia Rao
Would you live on a Halloween block? These Hackensackers live for it.
By
James Ramsay
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .