Eighteen Starving Pit Bulls Saved From New Jersey Dog-Fighting Ring Are Now Recovering

Eighteen starving pit bulls were rescued by authorities in Paterson, New Jersey, last week when they came across evidence of an active pit bull dog-fighting ring being run out of a house. According to CBS New York, the police had initially raided the residence after they suspected the inhabitants of being involved in illegal drug distribution. While they did recover $12,000 worth of crack cocaine and marijuana, the surprise catch came when authorities discovered malnourished dogs.

Two people, Ashley Bryant, 32 and Caurie Swinger, 21 have been arrested on charges of animal cruelty and drug possession.

The pit bulls were found in deplorable conditions inside the residence. While initial reports had said that 21 pit bulls were found alive, the actual number was 18. Four other dogs were already dead and were stuffed in garbage bags. Of the remaining 18 pit bulls, many were puppies who were stuffed into crates and crammed inside the basement of the residence. Three adult pit bulls who were alive were found to be severely maimed and injured.

According to Paterson Animal Control Officer John Decando, the dog-fighting ring bust was one of the largest he had seen in the area. Meanwhile, police officials believe that the pit bulls were being trained to fight inside one of the rooms of the residence which had blood-stained walls. They also found steroids used on fighting dogs, the needles used to inject them, and electronic collars to electrocute and shock the dogs.

A week since the pit bulls were discovered, the conditions of the animals have improved. According to North Jersey.com, initially animal control officials had a hard time finding enough kennels and veterinarians to handle these 18 pit bulls. Last Friday, soon after they were rescued, three of the badly injured pit bulls were taken for emergency treatment and are doing well now. The rest of the pit bulls were given necessary treatment and each one of them are doing well. Volunteers from the Second Chance Pet Adoption League were leading the effort to rescue these dogs. The next step for Paterson animal control office and the SCPAL is to find suitable homes for these pit bulls.

Stephanie Pearl of the SCPAL estimates the age of the puppies to be between 6 and 7 months, adding that almost all of them were afraid of humans. The oldest of the pit bulls are estimated to be between 3 or 4 years old, and have been interacting with rescuers comfortably with no instance of them snapping at any one. This behavior by the pit bulls has surprised many. One of the dogs had lost half her nose – most probably in a fight. But she was happy to receive attention from a human when approached with love and care.

The discovery of this dog fighting ring filled with pit bulls comes almost a year after another such ring was busted in the US, when over 350 dogs were rescued.

[Image via Bing]