Two days into his jury trial, a South Carolina man changed his plea to guilty and will get 30 years in prison -- 10 years for creating the booby trap that injured a surveyor who wandered onto his land, and 20 years for four counts of criminal animal fighting in connection with his pit bull breeding business. Authorities said David Tant was the No. 2 breeder of fighting pit bulls and sold the dogs internationally. Had he been found guilty by the jury, he would have faced 205 years in prison.
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This is horribly and terribly inhumane. When did a dogs life become more valuable than a humans. If I had to choose in saving the lives of a thousand dog that I cared for and one person that is a stranger, without question I would save that stranger. The humane society kills dogs every day through euphanization and these are dogs not owned by them. This man and people like him fight there own dogs, this breed is bred to fight if place them in room with one another they will fight, not because they were told to but because its in there genetics. Many people watch professional boxing, where two men get in a ring and attempt to destroy one another physically, where there is blood and all kinds of permanent scars. In some cases, even death and brain damage. This is a sport that we watch, participate by ordering on PPV and betting on. Biblically, when you kill another animal, you either pay for it or replace it, AND THAT’S ANOTHER PERSONS ANIMAL . There’s no penalty for killing your own animal. In the Bible, a dog is said to be unholy and not worthy to be fed anything good, but is allowed to eat the scraps off the table. Has the human race come so far away from God that, a dogs life is more valuable than a mans. I say the punishment does not meet the crime and is not justified. This mans offense does not affect society in any way, he did not kill from a man, he did not steal from a man, he didn’t even offend God according to scripture. Yet we took away his freedom and his livelihood. The punishment does not fit the crime.
He did not kill a human or harm a human? The #### had “booby traps” all over his property. He severely injured a land surveyor with birdshot to his leg and chest. Not to mention that the dogs he was breeding and training to fight were dangerous to people. Dogs that are trained to fight are more typically aggressive to humans and thus dangerous to “human society” in that way. Yes they were bred to fight and sometimes more genetically disposed to aggression than other breeds of dogs however how they are raised plays most if not all of whether a dog will be aggressive. I have a pitbull. He was attacked a laborador retriever. You know what my dog did, he rolled on his back and let the lab bite him. He did not fight back. He whined until the other dogs owner pulled the lab off of him. He has two scars on his face and head because the lab drew blood.
your dog should be spayed or neutered, please do not breed such a worthless dog. And as for David Tant he should be freed and left alone I think he is a great breeder of great apbts.
journeyman – you are a dog fighter, and your day in prison is coming soon.
I’m glad the surveyer is ok. I’m also glad that this disgusting dog fighter got a much more appropriate sentence as result of him harming both humans and dogs. ALL dog fighters should get 10 years minimum. So should all child molesters, and rapists.
game bred pit bulls are not human aggressive please stop the lie’s first the fact they will be handle by people and if fought they get washed by the other side
http://www.davidtant.com
First of all the surveyor was not a surveyor. He was a dog thief trying to steal a puppy for his girlfriend. This same guy has a warrant out for his arrest for stealing reptiles from a reptile show two weeks after he was trying to steal Mr. Tant’s puppy. Mr. Tant has since received a letter this guy sent to the Attorney General supporting Mr. Tant’s parole. He was hit with birdshot , birdshot is half the diameter of a bb. It never injured anyone. It may have stung him a bit but he was trespassing and stealing. The outpatient clinic took the birdshot out with tweezers and let him go . He told them he was in no pain.
Mr. Tant is a human dart board for the Animal Rights Activists. A Poster Boy , A political prisoner.
The same people that killed 47 of his dogs and 3 litters of his puppies while born in their care and the same people that want Mr. Tant to stay in prison.
The judge gave him 15 years. 10 for the assault and 5 for breeding dogs for fighting. He was told if he would plead guilty he would only get 2 years and if he did not he would get 40 years. The cards were stacked against him. He was not dog – fighting . He was breeding dogs and selling them. Do we put a gun dealer in prison if someone buys a gun from him and commits murder with it?
Please check out his website and learn the truth about David Ray Tant. He is not the monster he has been made out to be. http://www.davidtant.com The Truth will set him free.
Here are some truths, clarifications, and details about David Ray Tant’s case.
All that is and has been published is some of the same old negative stuff that is not true. Mr. Tant was not dog-fighting. He was a dog breeder yes, but Is he responsible if someone bought his dogs and used them for fighting? Do we find Gun Dealers guilty of murder if a gun they sell is used in a murder?
The Tant’s including David Ray are a good Christian family. His mother is 82 years old, and she has ridden that road every weekend to see her son! His father died while he was in prison and he was not allowed to go to his funeral. His sister is sick from trying to get this true story out and no one would listen. He needs to be home. He has served his time. Six years now as a perfect prisoner. Not one incident since he has been in prison. This man would not hurt a flea! He is far from violent and is not a criminal!
This is for your information and you are welcome to use it as you please. I promise you it is the truth and Mr. Tant and his mother have documentation for everything in this letter.
I am only a friend of the family, no ties except that they are a good family that lived in the same neighborhood I did when I was growing up. David Ray and I went to grammer school and high school together. He married one of my dear friends that I graduated with. We have not always kept in touch but when they did contact me for a letter of support I decided I wanted to help get his story to the public. He has been treated unfairly. He has been made a poster boy dart board for the Animal Abuse Task Force
MORE OF THE STORY THAT HAS NOT BEEN TOLD ABOUT DAVID RAY TANT:
First of all David Ray Tant was given 15 years by Judge Wyatt Saunders in 2004. Ten years for the birdshot assault and 5 years for “breeding dogs for fighting” His sentence was changed to 40 years by the Attorney General without due process 2 ˝ years later when he refused to testify against Michael Vick! This was a violation of his Civil Rights. Can you even imagine what may have happened to him in prison if he or anyone ever testified against someone’s hero??? Secondly he did not try to kill anybody. He put some birdshot (which is harmless) on the puppy pen for the simple fact that people had been trying to steal his puppies. The so called “surveryor” that trespassed on Mr. Tant’s property and pryed open the puppy pen was not a surveyor he was a puppy thief named Steven Baker. The surveyors next door to Mr. Tant’s property had hired him to clean off the land next door so they could survey it. Mr. Tant asked them if they needed to get on his property the day before and they told him “no”. He had no trespassing signs on every fence posts.
Steve BAker told his friends later he was trying to STEAL a puppy to give his girlfriend for her birthday. Mr. Tant hired a Private detective to find out if he was stealing his puppy and he has the records from the Private Detective where his friends told he was stealing the puppy. He was caught two weeks later stealing reptiles from the reptile show at the Ladson fairgrounds. Mr. Tant paid him $17,500 for a little birdshot in the butt. He has since sent Mr. Tant a letter saying he does not want him to stay in prison! There is a warrant out for his arrest today for stealing the reptiles but he is still being seen laughing about the birdshot. MUSC took the birdshot out with tweezers as an outpatient and let him go. He said he was not in any pain and the birdshot hardly broke the skin. Birdshot pellets are only half the diameter of a bb. The birdshot only stung him. He was made to testify that his injuries were life threatening so Mr. Tant would have to pay him restitution. Now Mr. Karesh has said that Tant was willing to “murder” someone to cover up his crime? That is ridiculous. One other tidbit on this subject is that only piece of equipment they found was a treadmill. It was back in the woods all dirty and was not even in working condition. They cleaned it up and got it working , brought it to the courtroom to try and prove that Mr. Tant was training dogs for fighting? That is not right.
Birdshot never killed anyone. These are just more of the stories Charles Karesh and the Charleston Animal Society are making up to cover up the fact that they killed all of Mr. Tant’s dogs. Just like the lie about the dogs having broken legs! So if the dogs had broken legs why did you wait 8 months to kill them??? Just more stories to continue to destroy this man’s life and cover up the fact that they murdered his dogs. Mr. Tant’s dogs were in excellent health when the Charleston Animal Society got them. No bowed legs, no scars, no broken legs. What they are saying is “dog-fighters usually have chains on dogs, or break their legs, or whatever other claims they are saying and people are believing Mr. Tant did those things and therefore they are responding to that on the petition as if those cruel acts were things that Mr. Tant did to his dogs and they are not. As I said and will reiterate Mr. Tant took very good care of his dogs and loved them He would not abuse a flea!
The Charleston Animal Society is afraid the public will find out they killed Mr. Tant’s 47 dogs and 3 litters of puppies born in their care! They are now making up lies about why they killed them! Mr. Tant was not Dog-fighting he was simple breeding dogs, which he had done since his teenage years. The are afraid the Animal lovers will find out about the euthanization of all of his dogs !
David Ray Tant began raising and leasing guard dogs early in life with a Police Officer friend of his. He trained dogs for the Police Canine unit. When Dog –fighting became a felony he continued to breed his dogs and sell them as guard dogs. He always took Excellent care of his dogs. Is he responsible if someone bought his dogs and used them for fighting? Do we find Gun Dealers guilty of murder if a gun they sell is used in a murder?
Tant’s sentence is extremely harsh. Never before or since have sentences of this magnitude been given to any other convicted dog-fighters. Michael Vick the NFL player was only sentenced to two years, only served 19 months, his dogs were allowed to be adopted out by the public and he is back out playing football. And he was really dog-fighting! And it has been well documented that all his dogs have made good pets!!
Tant paid approximately $82,000 to the Animal Society to care for his dogs. Some of this money may have been used for other things but regardless he paid it. They euthanized them all (47) as well as three litters of puppies after being in their custody for 8 months. People all over the world were trying to rescue them, but never got a chance. The people who killed Tant’s dogs are the ones fighting to keep him in prison.They do not want animals abused but were willing to euthanize 47 dogs and three litters of his puppies that could have been adopted/rescued and given good homes. Thousands of people were trying to adopt them and they would not let them. They would have made great pets, they were not vicious dogs as evidenced by one of them licking the face of a police officer when they were seized.
I know this man! David Ray Tant is not the monster he is made out to be. He is a father, grandfather, brother, and son. There are people who love and support him. He is a kind-hearted, generous, and caring man. After six years in prison as a perfect example with not one incident, he has paid his debt. Even the assistant warden has great things to say about him. He taught computer classes in prison, has attending bible study, and goes to church every Sunday.
What benefit is there to continue imprisonment exept for the publicity they are getting?
They are against animal abuse but condone human abuse ? The spent 14 million on a new animal shelter, but I do not see a homeless shelter for humans of that magnitude?
If you can find it in your heart to support his parole, it will be appreciated. THE PAROLE BOARD’S WEBSITE IS http://www.dppps.sc.gov/support_parole.html
HIS INMATE # IS 306170.
Please sign my petition
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/petition/704/670/041
Click her to support my friend’s parole on July 21
http://www.dppps.sc.gov/support_parole.html
Free your heart from Hate, Free your mind from Worry, Live Simple, Give More, Expect Less
For the true story about David Tant please go to his website ;www.davidtant.com
Like assault rifles, machine gun’s and sawed off shotguns, these breeds of pit bulls, etc. are made for one thing. To kill and maim humans. The overall attitude of these dogs owners are antisocial in that they will defend their dogs rights to behave viciously. Even when,lets say a pitbull, attacks and hurts or kills a small child in the family. The dogs owneralway seem moree sympathetic towards the animal. And any person that places an animals rights over a humans makes me sick.
I dont like dogs that much but that chick emily is an idiot and if I had to choose between her and a dog i would pick the dog. IDIOT
http://yesbiscuit.wordpress.com/2010/06/15/sc-david-tant-parole-hearing-postponed/
SC: David Tant Parole Hearing Postponed
June 15, 2010
The parole hearing for convicted breeder of fighting dogs David Tant, originally scheduled for tomorrow, has been postponed.
Tant, 63, formerly of the Charleston area, pleaded guilty in November 2004 to more than 40 counts of illegally breeding fighting dogs, and one assault count connected to a surveyor who was wounded by a booby trap after he wandered onto Tant’s property in southern Charleston County.
The surveyor was showered by an explosion of birdshot, injuring him slightly. The device was described as a “directional mine” meant to ward off intruders.
Mr. Tant was originally sentenced to 40 years although the term was later reduced to 30 years. This will be his first parole hearing:
Attorney General Henry McMaster and numerous local animal activists had planned to attend the hearing to argue why they believe Tant, formerly of Charleston, should stay locked up.
In connection with the case, 47 dogs were seized and killed. While the conviction of Mr. Tant remains a very heated subject among SC dog owners, it does seem that the 47 dogs, presumably killed without receiving fair evaluations from qualified individuals, are often forgotten.
harriett grady Says:
July 5, 2010 at 10:26 pm
Yes you are correct The 47 dogs plus 3 litters of pupppies born in the care of the Charleston Animal Society’s care were killed and never given a chance!
There were people all over the world trying to rescue those animals and they were never given a chance. Mr. Tant paid the Charleston Animal Society $82,000 to care and feed them and then they killed them all. Even the puppies.
Thank you for pointing that out . Mr. Tant has been a model prisoner for 6 years and it is time to let him come home to his aging mother. Please sign our petition and send the parole board a note to support his parole. Please
My response:
When you say his “conviction remains a heated subject” that makes it sound as though he was not guilty as charged.
It seemed he was guilty. As for the 47 dogs being killed, that is Mr. Tant’s fault! He bred fighting dogs and caused the death of many more than 47 that in his career. And most if not all of those dogs died a much more gruesome death.
Even if he hadn’t been breeding fighting dogs, any dog breeder is contributing to the overpopulation of dogs that leads to so many being killed in shelters.
I encourage people to go to http://www.aldf.org/article.php?id= and oppose Mr. Tant’s parole.
well I’ve owned some of the dogs of his stock and they have been the best I’ve ever had on my yard. well breed to standard and with great drive. I do breed APBT and use them to do catch work
( hog hunting). Down here in Ga we have a pretty bad hog problem in some parts of the state. It’s a shame that Mr. Tant was jammed up and all his dogs killed but he did break the law. Now giving him that much time was crazy!!! The judge,DA, jury should have been smacked for that. I know people that have killed and got less time then that but I can understand why in a country that will let a woman kill her unborn child and it be looked at as ok but throw the book at a man for fighting dogs/breeding game dogs. To me something seems a little bit backwards. Also if you come on my land without talking to me first chance are you will be shoot or hold at gun point until the sheriff comes to pick you up. I don’t blame him for placing traps around his land the way people are now these days. Anyway all I can say is I wish Mr.Tant the best of luck after he gets out of jail. Until then I’m gone continue to support/breed the great american breed APBT and serve my countryn got a deployment coming up so I got to get up and go train. You good folks have a nice days!!