Last week, early Wednesday morning, just after law enforcement agents from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division served search and seizure warrants across three properties, members of our Animal Rescue Team sprang into action to rescue the dogs and puppies on scene.
What they saw would shock typical dog lovers, but this team has seen this before—the signs typical of dogfighting cases. They found dogs straining against heavy chains around their necks or curled up dejectedly in plastic barrels or other kinds of makeshift shelters.
And yet the dogs, as if epitomizing innocence, still wagged their tails as our team approached them. They were so eager for affection. With such enthusiasm, you might have even taken them for a beloved pet, but their bodies told another story.
Sean Rayford/AP Images for Humane World for Animals
Veterinarians discovered puncture wounds, many of which were infected, on multiple dogs on each property. Most of the dogs were severely underweight and infested with fleas; some suffered from painful tooth decay and dental disease.
Treadmills, often used to condition and train dogs for fighting, as well as what appeared to be a broken-down fighting pit, were discovered on the properties.
On one of the properties, there was a little canine family: a mother and three puppies. Severely underweight, she nursed her puppies in a filthy, feces-caked hutch. Apparently, this mother dog was not being valued as a caring, vulnerable parent, but instead, treated as a breeding machine designed to produce puppies to feed a twisted hunger for violence.
Kevin Wolf/AP Images for Humane World for Animals
In total, our team saved 47 dogs and puppies across the three properties suspected of dogfighting last week. We’re grateful to the people from the Chester County Sheriff’s Office, Chester County Animal Control and Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office who also assisted with the rescue operation.
This is the fourth multi-property alleged dogfighting bust we have assisted with in just a few months. Since June, in South Carolina alone, Humane World for Animals has rescued 88 dogs from across seven properties. In that same time period, our team also rescued 22 dogs from an alleged dogfighting ring in Indiana.
It hardly needs to be said that dogfighting causes severe and egregious suffering, often resulting dogs dying from dehydration, infection, blood loss, exhaustion or shock.
Kevin Wolf/AP Images for Humane World for Animals
But the heartbreak in these cases isn’t just for the dogs—it’s the notion that this kind of violence existed in these communities. We have seen over and over again that dogfighting is a cluster crime. That is, dogfighters are often engaged in several illegal activities for profit, and dogfighting is only one of them. Across the globe, Humane World for Animals has seen that these spectacles of cruelty have often been found to co-occur with other crimes related to weapons, violence, gambling and illegal drugs. In this case, authorities announced that four people were arrested and charged with weapon- and drug-related offenses in addition to charges related to animal abuse.
In this way, getting at the root causes of animal cruelty intersects with other harms to communities. It is yet a further testament to the powerful thought that the well-being of people and animals are inextricably linked.
Sean Rayford/AP Images for Humane World for Animals
We have made great societal progress in recognizing the harms of dogfighting in our communities. For example, this intervention was made possible in part by the unanimous 2024 passage of South Carolina’s cost-of-care law. This measure requires that the owner of animals seized by law enforcement either pay for animal care or relinquish the animals so they have a chance at being adopted. Without such measures, animals seized by law enforcement agencies are required to be held for months or years while criminal cases are prosecuted, imposing a prohibitive cost on law enforcement agencies, animal protection organizations and taxpayers in the state. For this reason, we advocate for cost-of-care legislation in states throughout the U.S. to remove that significant obstacle in the enforcement of animal protection laws.
Now all 47 dogs and puppies have been brought by our team to a safe, confidential location where we are providing much-needed care and treatment.
Sean Rayford/AP Images for Humane World for Animals
When we talk about our big mission—tackling the root causes of animal cruelty and suffering to drive permanent change and create a better world for all animals around the globe—it can sound immense and hard to imagine. But think of these 47 dogs: Without our work, our established partnerships and our steadfast advocacy for more humane laws, these animals would have likely lived and died knowing only cruelty. Instead, they are not only safe, but they are recovering their strength for a new, wholly different kind of life.
Kitty Block is president and CEO of Humane World for Animals. Follow Kitty Block.
