But clearly, "dogfighting is a problem here," said Marsha Perelman, chairwoman of the American SPCA and a Philadelphia resident.
"There's insufficient funding to enforce laws, insufficient funding to take care of dogs taken in raids and a court system that puts a low priority on dogfighting cases," she said.
Yesterday, authorities charged two men arrested Sunday, James Hargrove, 43, of the residence, and Tyrik Carr, 18, of Ashmead Street near Rubicam, with cruelty to animals and conspiracy.
The PSPCA was tipped off to the house by a caller to its hot line who said there was a dead dog in the rear of the house.
Investigators said they found two dead pit bulls and five that were injured.
Anti-cruelty experts said that dogfighting appears in virtually every state and with greater frequency along the Eastern Seaboard but that it's hard to determine how Philadelphia ranks among other cities.
"That's like asking how many people use crack-cocaine," said Randall Lockwood, a psychologist and senior vice president of the ASPCA's anti-cruelty field services. "It's an illegal and underground activity, so it's difficult to track."
John Goodwin, manager of the Humane Society of the United States' Animal Fighting Campaign, said dogfighting started to become prevalent in urban areas in the latter part of the 20th century, after the activity became a felony in most states.
"When you take something that has become a felony, the only area with any growth for something like that is where you have people . . . who are already involved in a host of other crimes," he said. "The growth of dogfighting has been among hardened criminals."
Lockwood said there was also a correlation between the growth of inner-city dogfighting and a rise of bans on pit bulls.
