27 fighting dogs forfeited to government

27 fighting dogs forfeited to government By Allie Arnell, aharnell@qconline.com Updated Dec 9, 2016

Twenty-seven of sixty-four pit bull dogs seized during raids of an alleged dog-fighting ring in the Quad Cities have been forfeited to the U.S. government.

U.S. District Court, Judge Sara Darrow on Dec. 2 granted the United States' request for default judgment to permanently obtain the dogs, according to court records.

Since they were seized on April 14, the dogs have been in the custody of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) receiving shelter and veterinary and rehabilitative care.

Judge Darrow's decision says the U.S. Marshal Service will determine where the dogs will go, whether it be a "shelter" or another "appropriate organization."

Two of the dogs that displayed "extreme aggression" toward people and "cannot be safely handled" will be humanely euthanized, per recommendation of the ASPCA.

Sources and witnesses notified law enforcement of a group of people in the Quad Cities area involved in dog fighting operations in Illinois, Iowa, Alabama, and Mississippi. They said members of the group had purchased and transported fighting dogs from Ohio, Pennsylvania, Alabama, and Mississippi, according to a complaint filed against the seized property.

Sources and searches revealed photographs and videos of dog fights organized by the accused parties. Witnesses reported two instances in which the owners of the losing dogs hanged the dogs in front of those present, according to the complaint.

More than a dozen people were accused of dog fighting and gambling at the time the dogs were seized but no charges have been filed in the case as of Thursday.

Of this group, only three individuals filed answers to the forfeiture complaint against them. An emergency motion for entry of default was filed Oct. 5 for forfeiture of the 27 dogs for which no claims had been made.

The motion states the animals were in a "deteriorating condition" of health and would benefit from being rehabilitated and "deemed fit for adoption."

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