Another dogfighting bust - 8 dogs rescued

LAWNCREST - April 14, 2011

The search warrant they served Wednesday was a direct result of the four raids earlier this week.

At least 2 people people have been taken into custody and authorities are tracking down more.

All are facing felony charges for animal fighting.

"This is very shocking to me, you hear the dogs all the time," one neighbor told Action News.

RELATED: Photos from the latest dog fighting raid

Authorities carried out eight pit bulls that officials say bear battle scars and old wounds from a Lawncrest home.

"These dogs here were not in that great of condition, the conditions that they were being kept inside were horrible," PSPCA spokesman George Bengal said.

What officials believe was a dog fighting ring was also hauled out piece by piece. They say the ring was constructed with lengths of plywood and the basement wall, parts of which they removed for evidence.

"We have blood all over the plywood, what we believe to be blood all over the walls from these fights," Bengal said.

Training equipment was also recovered.

"[There's] the chain with the leash, they'll put that around dog's neck; [there's] a treadmill, [it] conditions them," Bengal said.

This is the fifth raid related to dog fighting since late Sunday night.

RELATED: Photos from the previous dog fighting raids

The biggest bust began on Sunday night in the 2600 block of Gerritt Street in Grays Ferry. That house was raided as a dog fight was in progress, the SPCA said. The raid netted what officials say are some of the biggest dog fighting names in the city.

About a half dozen dogs in all, described as emaciated and in poor condition, were discovered in cages in the house and locked up outside in cars. The dogs were taken to the SPCA for treatment. They will be held there as evidence pending future trials.

That raid led to two others on Monday: One in the 2800 block of Boudinot Street in the city's Kensington section and another in the 3000 block of Potter Street, also in the Kensington section.

"We've taken over 30 animals in the last three days, all related to fighting," Bengal said.

The shelter these dogs are taken to is filling up.

Some of the dogs will need to be held for evidence. All will need to get healthy, however, Action News is told many of them will be adoptable in the near future.

Investigators added that this latest raid in Lawnscrest was a direct result of the raids earlier this week in which more than a dozen people were arrested.

Neighbors had heard the dogs barking but say they had no idea what was going on inside.

"You hear them going crazy when you walk past so you think, 'Thank goodness they can't walk over that fence,'" a neighbor named Katharine said.

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