More than 200 dogs are receiving care after law enforcement and animal advocates say they were rescued from a dog-fighting ring that stretched across several North Texas counties.
Investigators say it’s the largest bust of its kind in recent history.
“There was a tremendous amount of planning and preparation that went into this case and it was a massive multi-agency response,” said SPCA of Texas Chief Investigator Courtney Burns.
On February 10th, Dallas Police, along with state and federal officials, served 27 warrants at properties in Dallas, Ellis, Kaufman and Smith Counties.
They say “Operation Fight Club,” an ongoing dogfighting and animal cruelty investigation.
According to police, more than 200 dogs were rescued, stolen guns were recovered, and additional evidence of dog fighting was seized.
Animal cruelty investigators say they found dogs tethered to heavy chains and in dilapidated, makeshift kennels.
“In general, when we have people that are fighting dogs and they go through a conditioning process. And what that can look like is they’ll utilize equipment like treadmills, you may see that there were treadmills seized in this case, and what it does is cause the dog to run constantly on it. It’s almost like treating them like an athlete, but they don’t have a choice, you know,” said Burns.
“We had veterinarians as well as additional vet staff on scene at several of the properties. And that’s so we could perform our forensic exams, which include not only looking at the animal but looking at the environment in which the animal was living,” said Chief of Staff for Operation Kindness Humane Society Meredith Jones.
Operation Kindness and Dallas Animal Services were among those involved.
Animals will now be treated and hopefully rehabilitated and placed into a system that DAS warns is already overwhelmed.
“We do have an urgent need for your support. We are over capacity. We need adoptions. We need fosters. We need volunteers to help us,” said Jennifer Smith with Dallas Animal Services.
Still, welfare advocates are lauding the operation as a win, fighting back against a crime they say is far too prevalent and often well hidden.
“I hope that it sends the message that this type of violent, organized crime is absolutely not tolerated in North Texas and that we have the people and resources to go after it and stop it,” said Burns.
Police say arrests for dogfighting and additional crimes will be announced as the investigation continues.