Dogfighting kennel raided in Rome

Floyd County authorities on Thursday raided a house in Rome where pit bulls were being bred and groomed for dog fighting.

County police and Rome-Floyd County Animal Control officers found 15 adult pit bulls and six puppies living in poor conditions on the property at 209 Eden Circle.

Authorities said the dogs had been tethered to the ground with logging chains attached to car axles driven into the ground. Many of the adult dogs were scarred from old fights, and one of them bore wounds from a recent fight, authorities said.

“The scars were consistent with dog fighting,” police investigator Lt. Dana Collum said.

Two men were arrested on the property, Collum said. The owner of the house is being sought and will likely be charged, he said.

Collum said the man, whom he called “kind of the mastermind” of the operation, owns the dogs and rents out the property as a kennel.

Chuck Simmons of Norred & Associates said authorities acted on a tip it received three weeks ago that dogs were being bred on the property for fighting.

Norred & Associates is an Atlanta-based corporate security and private investigating firm. It does pro bono work for the Humane Society of the United States, Simmons said.

Simmons said investigators for Norred monitored the operation and turned over their findings to authorities.

“It turned out to be a hell of a tip,’ he said.

The dogs on the property were using plastic barrels for shelter. Some of the chains the dogs were tethered to were connected by padlocks, Collum said. “There was no freedom of movement,” he said.

Two dogs and their puppies were in breeding pens that had not been cleaned. The dogs were living in their own feces, Collum said.

Authorities also found syringes on the grounds of the property.

The dogs were placed in the custody of animal control officers. The dog that had recently fought is under a veterinarian’s care.

Police have charged Marcus Beasley and Dominique Porter with 15 counts of cruelty to animals. They were expected to be released on bond from the Floyd County Jail later Thursday.

Porter had a previous arrest in January on dogfighting and animal cruelty charges.