14 Dogs Rescued In Gaston County Dogfighting Ring

GASTONIA, N.C. — More than a dozen dogs were rescued in an alleged dogfighting ring at 945 E. 6th Ave in Gastonia on Wednesday morning.

According to the Humane Society, 14 dogs were taken from the home. They were found “living in makeshift, hazardous enclosures”.

Henrique Durant has lived at the home for three years with his wife and 14 dogs.

Some of the dogs had scars the Humane Society says is “consistent with injuries typically seen in dogfighting operations”. Some of  the dogs also had dental issues, missing hair, and puncture wounds.

Durant had an explanation for the scars.

“The mama dog got into it with her daughter, that then got into it with her brother,” he said. “Three of them are the only ones that got scars. Everything is clean like a whistle.”

Durant let WCCB’s Emma Mondo take a look at the back yard herself, all she saw were the cages and clean dog bowls. however, the humane society said they found other dogfight paraphernalia inside the home, including treadmills, paper work, and medical equipment.

“It’s always haunting…seeing what the dogs have had to endure and thinking about how they’ve suffered,” said Jessica Johnson, senior director of the Humane Society of the United States’ animal rescue team.

The Gaston County Police Department says the search and seizure was part of a two month long investigation for dog fighting.

Dogfighting is a Class H Felony in North Carolina.

The Humane Society of the United States is taking the dogs to undisclosed locations for care and treatment.

The investigation in the case in on-going. No charges have been filed at this time.