Police seize 29 pit bulls

Twenty-nine suspected pit bull terriers were seized today and seven people arrested in a major police operation.

About 60 police and 30 RSPCA officers executed warrants under the 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act at 16 addresses in Knowsley, Merseyside.

The operation followed a fatal pit bull type dog attack on five-year-old Ellie Lawrenson in St Helens on New Year's Day, although Merseyside Police said it had been planned for three months.

The force was unable to give ages or sexes of those arrested, but a spokeswoman said most were being held on suspicion of illegal dog breeding.

The total number of suspected pit bulls seized in Merseyside since Ellie's death now stands at 59.

The raids, which took place in Huyton and Stockbridge Village, were in response to tip-offs about dangerous dogs and potential dog-fighting rings.

Officers will be working today to assess whether the seized dogs are illegal, who owns them and why they are being kept.

Superintendent Dave Connor said: "Today's operation underlines our commitment to tackling the problem of dangerous dogs in our communities, which is not a problem specific to Merseyside.

"It is clear that some people keep pit bull terriers as a status symbol and may not fully understand the implications of owning this type of dog.

"There is, though, a criminal element that keep them for more sinister purposes.

"Dog fighting is a barbaric activity and it will not be tolerated. Anyone who trains or breeds animals for that purpose can expect to be dealt with robustly.

"I would like to thank our communities for their support and would urge people to continue to come forward with information about dog fighting and where dogs are being kept or bred."

RSPCA Chief Inspector Ian Briggs added that trained experts will be checking the seized dogs for injuries consistent with fighting.

He said: "We will check any seized dogs for injuries, and provide the police with expertise on dog fighting while their investigation progresses.

"The recent operations on Merseyside sadly demonstrate that large numbers of pit bull types are being kept for the wrong reasons - either as a macho status symbol for sparring or 'rolling' on the street, or for the purpose of organised dog fighting.

"Either way, the dogs' welfare is unnecessarily put at great risk by their owners."

The RSPCA estimates there may be around 100 people involved in organised dog fighting in Britain, 170 years after it was banned.

Eight suspected pit bull terriers were seized in St Helens and Widnes after Ellie's death, and a further 22 were recovered from a unit in Aintree, Liverpool.