Hundreds of Dogs Saved In One Of Country’s Largest Dogfight Raids

A dozen people have been charged with dogfighting as 367 scarred, emaciated put bullls have been rescued.

“The number of dogs seized and the amount of money involved in this case shows how extensive this underworld of dog fighting is,” U.S. Attorney for the Middle District Alabama George Beck said in a statement on Monday. “These dog fighters abuse, starve and kill their dogs for the supposed ‘fun’ of watching and gambling on a dog fight.”

The suspects, who come from Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama and Texas, face multiple charges related to dog fighting and gambling, with each charge carrying up to five years in prison. Dog fighting is a felony in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

At one site, some 114 emaciated, wounded dogs were found chained to tires, without food and water, and in makeshift shelters in scorching summer heat, rescue groups said.

“Thousands of others all over the country continue to endure unimaginable suffering and death just like this at the hands of dog fighters,” said Tim Rickey of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which along with the Humane Society of the United States helped remove the dogs.

“We want to end it once and for all.”

By: Cheston Catalano

Cheston Catalano is a Kentucky-based journalist whose work has been featured in the Chattanooga Times Free Press and the Clarksville Leaf Chronicle. He is a long-time contributor to Liberaland.