26 dogs rescued from Plant City dog fighting ring, animal control officers say

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Animal control officers say all the dogs were badly injured and some were found still bleeding. (Courtesy: Hillsborough County Animal Services)
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Posted: 01/28/2013

By: Jacqueline Ingles

PLANT CITY - Acting on an anonymous tip, Hillsborough County animal control officers say they busted a dog fighting ring at a Plant City home Monday afternoon.

Twenty-six pit bull terriers were found, some chained up, at a home located on Colson Road.

Deputies and investigators served a search warrant on the property at 4:00 p.m.

Pam Perry with Hillsborough County Animal Services said the dogs came in with fresh wounds as well as old ones.

"Some of them are severely injured," explained Perry. "Clear cuts to their faces, forelimbs, head, they are still bleeding."

No arrests were made in the case but Perry said charges are imminent.

All 26 dogs have now been seen by a veterinarian.

"We saved these dogs lives today."

Monday's case brought back eerie memories for animal control officers. Back on November 28, they busted a suspected dog fighting ring in Seffner. Seven pit bulls were rescued from the home and dozens of other skeletons were found on the property.

Officers called the discovery nothing short of a 'doggie burial ground.'

"It is weekly [that we bust these rings]," Perry explained.

Perry said most of these rings are located in rural areas where homes are thousand of yards apart.

In Monday's case, she said the backyard was surrounded by a six-foot-tall fence that prevented wandering eyes.

"I never heard dogs barking," said Alfred Ingram, a neighbor. "I don't know what is going on."

All of the dogs rescued are expected to survive.

Perry told ABC Action News the road to recovery will be long and challenging for all the dogs. She said the shelter will also see added stress because they must now take care of and feed an influx of animals.