The Atlanta Humane Society helped rescue 35 dogs from a possible dog-fighting operation in Duplin County, N.C., on Tuesday.

The dogs were removed and taken to an undisclosed location, Humane Society officials said.

One man, 76-year-old Harry Hargrove of Mt. Olive, was arrested.

Duplin County Sheriff’s investigators were able to conduct the raid based on a tip on an animal abuse tip line run by Norred & Associates, an Atlanta-based security firm.

Norred has helped with 21 raids on dog-fighting operations across the Southeast by pairing up with local law enforcement as well as the Atlanta Humane Society.

"Despite its illegality, people are still training and breeding pit bulls to participate in dog fights around the country," said Greg Norred, chief executive officer of Norred & Associates.

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Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, seen here in a file photo from Nov. 14, 2024, is conducting a statewide audit of voter registrations targeting registrations at businesses and P.O. boxes for possible cancelation. (Jason Getz / AJC)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com