Suspected dog fighters broke into an animal shelter in Helena-West Helena on Wednesday night and pitted multiple dogs against one another, leaving several wounded animals and a destroyed kennel, the Humane Society of the Delta said in a Facebook post Friday.
"The scene was straight out of a horror film," the post said. "It was a bloodbath. Kennels had been destroyed in the mayhem to give you an idea of the kind of fighting and violence that took place. To say we are disgusted at the kind of person who could do this to helpless, homeless animals is an understatement."
Beth Florek, a 10-year veteran of the humane society, said she got a call at approximately 2 a.m. Thursday from someone who could hear "the noise the dogs were making" as two dogs tore at a third, Rubio, who sustained life-threatening injuries during the attack.
Florek said she is not yet sure if the person who broke into the kennels brought their own fighting dogs, but that multiple dogs had bite wounds. In a video posted to the society's Facebook page, Rubio has a gaping wound near his abdomnen and bite marks along his jaw.
"I’ve been a nurse for more than 40 years," Florek said. "I ran an ER in New Orleans. I thought I’d seen the dregs of the Earth. But seeing how people in my hometown, in my county .. they treat their animals as though they’re disposable. And it's not just here. There are stories from all humane societies."
The violence Wednesday night is the third time someone has broken in and injured animals in the last four years, Florek said. Attempts to install security cameras have been thwarted, she said, when people stole the cameras. The shelter at other times did not have the funds to continue to care for approximately 300 dogs and also install a security system, she said.