Dog fighting suspected in one of two Macon animal cruelty cases

The Bibb County Sheriff's Office is investigating two cases of animal cruelty, one of which may have involved dog fighting.

About 9 a.m. Sunday, after neighbors of a home off Bloomfield Road reported smelling a foul odor, authorities found four pit bulls dead, still chained up, and two emaciated dogs in the backyard at 2763 Barrett Ave.

Some of the dogs had been dead for two or three days, sheriff's Lt. Linda Howard said.

The house was vacant, and investigators "are in the process of trying to find out who was living there," Howard said.

After knocking on a door at the home, a Macon-Bibb County Animal Welfare employee found one of the pit bulls inside. Howard said officers had to obtain a warrant to get inside and rescue it.

Dog fighting is suspected, due to the nature of some of the dogs' injuries.

"The injuries that were on several of the dogs, animal control did say they were consistent with injuries sustained from dog fighting," Howard said, adding that a necropsy will determine the official cause of death.

Moldy food, possibly left by neighbors, was also found at the site.

About 3 p.m. Monday, the Animal Welfare office got a call asking for a check on animals at a home in the 3500 block of Plymouth Drive, according to a release from the sheriff's office.

Animal Control employees found a total of eight pit bull dogs on the property. Of the eight dogs, seven were alive, but a puppy had died, apparently from the frigid overnight temperatures, the release said.

Four of the eight dogs removed from the property did not belong to the homeowner. Four other dogs that did were in good condition. No charges were filed against the homeowner.

Investigators are interviewing possible witnesses to the incident. Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the Bibb Sheriff's Office at 478-751-7500 and ask to leave a message for the on-call investigator, or Macon Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-877-68CRIME.

To contact writer Laura Corley, call 744-4334 or follow her on Twitter @Lauraecor.

This story was originally published November 23, 2015 at 10:33 PM.