Bust of ‘barbaric’ dog-fighting ring leads to rescue of 156 dogs in Georgia, feds say
More than 150 dogs that were chained and malnourished, some with broken legs and “severely injured,” were rescued this week when federal officials busted what they described as a sprawling dog-fighting ring that spanned Middle Georgia.
Eleven locations in counties across the region — including Houston, Bibb, Peach, Crawford, Taylor, Talbot and Webster counties — were the sites where search warrants were served Wednesday.
Charlie Peeler, U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, said in a statement that the warrants were “related to suspected violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act” and in connection with drug-trafficking allegations.
“Illegal dog fighting is a barbaric activity,” Peeler said in the statement.
In all, 156 dogs were said to now be in the care of U.S. Marshals. Some of the animals will need surgery, authorities said.
Warrants were served at:
- 323 Ruby St. in Macon
- 16 Spruce Lane in Roberta
- 99 Calloway Drive in Roberta
- 107 Stanton Circle in Warner Robins
- 407 Vienna St. in Fort Valley
- 718 Green St., Apartment A101, in Fort Valley
- 233 Buckrun Road, Talbotton
- 293 Chapman Road, Shiloh
- 838 Jeff Hendricks Road, Woodland
- 65 Turner Estates Road, Reynolds
- 369 Millard Kennedy Road, Preston
This story was originally published February 27, 2020 at 12:15 PM.