Massive Dogfighting Ring Busted in Ohio

Late on March 24, federal and state law enforcement agents, joined by HSUS investigators, swooped down upon a warehouse where a major dogfighting convention was in progress. Agents arrested 25 participants and spectators and seized several scarred and abused fighting dogs. Of those arrested, several hailed from out of state.

Arresting officers arrived before the spectacle had begun, sparing the dogs the crushed bones, torn flesh and other horrors common to dogfighting matches. A professional dogfighting match often lasts up to two hours—two hours of dogs locked in battle as they slowly expire from exhaustion or physical trauma.

While no dogs suffered at the Ohio pit on March 24, the scars borne by the dogs seized, as well as the blood-splattered fighting pit, were a grim testimony to past battles.

Simultaneous with the raid on the dogfighting convention, seven fighting dog kennels elsewhere in the Dayton and Cincinnati areas were raided. Federal, state and local agents, accompanied by HSUS staff, descended upon the kennels, seizing dozens more dogs, many bearing scars and wounds consistent with victims of dogfighting matches. A dog at one kennel was so badly injured that part of his lower jaw had been removed.

Also seized at the kennels were the tools common to hard-core dogfighting operations: treadmills used to exercise the dogs into exhaustion, dogfighting magazines, dogfighting videos, steroids and "breaking sticks," used to pry apart the jaws of dogs locked in battle.

The dogs from all locations were taken to a central triage area, examined and treated for their wounds by veterinarians and transferred to other shelter facilities. Plucked from the custody of their alleged abusers, the rescued dogs are among a lucky few who no longer face life in isolation at the end of a heavy chain, beaten and abused into fighting form. They will never again face bloody mutilations, agony or potential death in the fighting pit.

The March 24 bust was the culmination of a year-long investigation undertaken by the Ohio Attorney General's office and USDA's Office of Inspector General into illegal dogfighting in the region. The Oregon Humane Society, Charles County (Md.) Animal Control and Sumter Disaster Animal Response Team (DART) of Florida were among the out-of-state responders to assist with the operation, said to be the largest of its kind in Ohio. The HSUS aided with the investigation culminating in these raids, and provided assistance on the scene with seizure and finding temporary housing of the dogs from the pit and kennels.

Dogfighters Jerry Pounds, Jon Pollard, Terry Kendrick, Larontay Bennett, Paul Pennington and Cornelius Burnett face federal charges [PDF] related to this roundup, which was dubbed "Operation Bite Back." In addition to criminal animal fighting, some of them are individually charged with cocaine distribution, possession of firearms or explosive devices, transporting a stolen vehicle across state lines or illegal gambling. Many others were arrested on state and local charges.

The bust has far-reaching implications for proponents of the bloodsport. With dozens of dogfighting aficionados facing serious criminal charges at both the state and federal level, and with many major fighting dog kennels in the region now defunct, the legs have gone out from under the dogfighting industry in southwest Ohio.

The bust sent a clear message to remaining dogfighters, reminding them that they cannot flout state and federal law or torture man’s best friend with impunity.