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Tampa Man Charged With Cruelty, Keeping Dogs For Fighting

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By JOSH POLTILOVE | The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 18, 2008

Michael McKinney

TAMPA - A Tampa man is facing charges of animal cruelty after investigators received an anonymous tip about pit bulls confined in his yard.

Hillsborough County Animal Services investigators say they found three pit bulls and several puppies improperly confined in the yard of 42-year-old Michael McKinney.

He faces two counts of animal cruelty, confinement of animals without food or water and possession of an animal for fighting.

McKinney plead guilty to charges of cruelty to animals in 2006, when investigators said they found a dead dog hanging from a fence and one with severe wounds of the head, face and neck, according to court records. He was sentenced to time served.

Animal Services asked the state attorney's office not to offer McKinney a plea agreement because of his record and his "callous attitude to investigators," spokeswoman Marti Ryan said.

Ryan said he told investigators Wednesday, "I'll walk."

At McKinney's home, investigators found a male black pit bull mix named Little Man with puncture wounds of the head, face and neck consistent with dogfighting, Ryan said.

Investigators also found a female black pit bull mix named Onyx with six puppies, one of them dead.

While in Animal Services' care, she had five more puppies, Ryan said.

Another female pit bull mix named Monkey has a prolapsed uterus, a condition often seen in unspayed female dogs that requires surgery to correct, Ryan said. The internal organ falls out and protrudes from the body, but the condition isn't considered life-threatening.

Investigators also found heavy chains and animal chained to axles driven into the ground, Ryan said. Some of the dogs had water, and some did not. Investigators could not find anything that served as a shelter for Monkey.

TBO.com producer Daniela Velázquez contributed to this article. Reporter Josh Poltilove can be reached at jpoltilove@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7691.

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